A friend in need
by Levana Fay
Summary: When a case becomes very personal for FBI Agent Tobias Fornell, he turns to his only friend in his time of need. A little Mibbs, until it becomes Jibbs.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: When a case becomes very personal for FBI Agent Tobias Fornell, he turns to his only friend in his time of need. A little Mibbs, until it becomes Jibbs.

Rating: T, not sure if it should be M

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: This story is set during season 4, around the middle, after Sharif returns.

The streets on the housing estate were dark, the shadows long, indicating the night was half way through. Dozens of pairs of eyes watched one house in particular, from vans parked strategically around it, front and back. Inside the vans were FBI agents, a few wearing surveillance gear and the rest were armed and wore bullet proof vests. This op had been running a long time and tonight they finally had the Intel they needed to find the perpetrators location. He wasn't getting away again. Here on this housing estate, the man they had been chasing for three years was living, mingling with the families around him, none of them aware of what he was. He was a murderer, a rapist of young boys. His MO was brutal. He beat them with whatever he had laying around; a golf club was his favourite, until they were practically unconscious. Then he would sexually assault them so violently they usually didn't survive the encounter, and if they did, he would strangle them. He always dumped their bodies in an alley by the child's home, his sick games torturing the parents as they went to put the bins out, only to find the bodies of their sons, the glassy eyes staring at them unseeingly. Only one boy had survived long enough to give them a description of the man before he had succumbed to his injuries. That was almost a year ago, and they had successfully tied fifteen murder cases to this one man. There could be more still, but they hoped he would tell them how many he had killed in interrogation. They always arrived too late, but not this time.

FBI Agent Tobias Fornell was heading this investigation, having been the agent first assigned to the case three years ago. This was not the first break like this that he had caught, and he knew from experience this guy was cunning. He watched his surroundings carefully, so it was imperative they went in soon. He strapped on his vest and checked his gun. The last of the backup vehicles had arrived, so they could get the mission underway.

"Are all the vans in place?" he asked Benjamin, the surveillance guy in this van.

"Yes sir, number six just arrived." He reported, watching number six pull into position.

"Alright that's good enough for me. Suit up guys; we're going in on my mark." The other FBI Agents in the van loaded their guns and checked their vests, putting the FBI caps on their heads, grabbing a torch and then standing by the sliding door, ready to run to the house. Tobias put in his earwig and checked in with his team.

"Sacks, report."

"_All ready sir, vans 2 through 6 are standing by for your order_." Tobias nodded to himself and then watched the surveillance screens, looking for any signs of life in the house. There were none, and he couldn't help feeling like they were missing something. He tried to shake of the sense of foreboding and decided not to waste anymore time.

"Mark!" he shouted to everyone through his earwig and he heard his order being relayed by Sacks, and the Agents all threw open the doors to their van and ran across the street towards the house, kicking the door in and then advancing through into the dark building.

"FBI Freeze!" every Agent shouted as they entered the house, announcing their presence to each other as well as anyone inside, just so a defence lawyer can't claim they broke in and didn't do it. Tobias walked through the hall, knowing from experience where to look for the guy and any 'house guests' he may have. He took the stairs two at a time, following a few Agents as they bashed open doors and shouted out its status to the others.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Cle-" one Agent stopped what he was about to say, standing back from the doorway and dropping his head, one of his hands coming up to press against his mouth, swallowing reflexively in an attempt to stop himself from vomiting, and Tobias knew what they were going to find. With a heavy heart, he stepped around the Agent and walked into the dark room, the windows covered in bin bags to stop light coming through, and so no neighbours could see what the fiend was doing to the child he abducted. Tobias shone his torch into the room, seeing that the only thing contained in there was the bed, a single soiled bed, with a young boy lying across it on his back, his head hanging off the end and his sightless, bloodshot eyes staring at the door. Sorrow blanketed his mind as he looked at another child he had failed to protect by bringing this monster in, already seeing the grief and distress of the parents he would have to inform later.

He couldn't be much older than five; he was naked save for the bed sheet wrapped almost fully around him, the purple bruising from the beatings he had endured showing up harshly against the background of pale white skin. Blood soaked the sheet around his middle, and Tobias could almost hear the autopsy report already. It would be the same as the others, only with a more violent conclusion. The beast responsible was getting more and more sadistic with every child, despite the fact he was managing to keep them alive for longer. The look of this boy suggested that the killer had been getting ready to dump him in an alley. They must have disturbed him when he had been getting ready to move the body, which meant that he had slipped away when the surveillance van had been watching the house. How could they have missed that?

"The whole house is clear, sir. He isn't here." Agent Sacks told him softly, appearing by his side and taking in the scene. He had been on Fornell's team for two years now, and his reaction to seeing this fiend's work had been the same as the agent by the door, who was being removed from the building before he contaminated the scene. It was something you couldn't get used to seeing, just better at hiding your reaction to it. Tobias moved closer to the child curiously, having seen something glinting in the torch light. Sacks moved to the light switch and flicked it on, flooding the room in bright light, making the full horror of what had happened to this boy easier to see. Fornell cast his eye over the corpse, hoping that the killer had left some clue by accident. Upon closer inspection however, he realised that the boy had something shiny grasped in his right hand.

"The kid is holding something…" he said out loud, pulling out a pair of latex gloves and putting them on. He bent closer and lifted a wad of paper out of the boy's hand. He held the wad closer to himself and turned over the first piece, the shiny glinting being now easily recognisable as the glossy side of photo paper. "Pictures. Pictures of…" he trailed off as the cold fingers of dread gripped his heart. The first was a picture of a familiar house, his ex-wife Diane's house. Surely the killer didn't know who he was personally… he flipped to the next picture and he began to find it difficult to breathe. It showed him holding a little girl's hand as he walked her to Diane's front door. The next picture however, was the one that almost stopped his heart. It was a close up of his daughter, clutching her strawberry shortcake doll close to her while looking suspiciously at the camera, the picture having been taken from across the road. "Emily?" he choked out, dropping the pictures and bolting through the corridors of the house, running to his car and speeding off, unheeding of Agent Sacks throwing himself in the passenger side just in time.

He couldn't think straight, couldn't function objectively when his little girl was at risk, and he knew she was. There was only one reason this sadistic son of a bitch would leave pictures of his daughter on the person of a dead little boy, and that was if he knew he would be the one that found them. He was torturing him, by showing him that his family isn't safe, that he knew where they lived and on what day he picked Emily up from Diane's for the weekend, and dropped her off again. Tobias floored the accelerator, trying to maintain a sense of calm by making his mind focus completely on the road, so he didn't crash. He didn't want to acknowledge what else those pictures could mean; he wouldn't be able to handle the thought of his young daughter being in that monsters presence, for any reason. It was usually a good forty minute drive to Diane's, but today he made it in ten.

Upon arrival at Diane's house, Tobias parked opposite and jumped straight out of the car, marching up the garden to the front door, unheeding of the danger, and reached out for the handle. Sacks reached it first though, blocking him from opening it and then firmly pressing Fornell back against the wall, giving him a warning glare.

"What do you think you are doing? He could be waiting for you in there!" he whispered to him angrily, and Fornell growled and pushed the younger Agent off of him. How dare he speak to him like that when his daughter could be in danger?

"Exactly! That man may have my daughter!" he hissed back. Sacks nodded and then gestured at the darkened houses over the road.

"Or he's waiting across the street to pick you off! I'll go first, stay behind me and try to get your head in the game." Tobias didn't like getting told off by his own rookie, but he realised that this time he was right. He was running straight into a potentially hostile situation without thinking. Even if Emily and Diane were ok, he would have to dodge a few missiles thrown by his irate ex because they were breaking into her home. Sacks got his gun out and crept to the front door, turning the handle experimentally. His eyebrows shot up momentarily when the door swung partially open, and then he readied his gun to fire. Pushing the door open more fully, he looked around the frame and then sighed heavily at what he saw. Tobias couldn't wait any longer and pushed past him, stopping abruptly in the hallway as he saw what the light from the door highlighted.

Diane was sprawled on the stairs, her head close to the bottom step, red hair blanketing her face, and blood soaking the carpet from where a knife had been plunged in her back. A child's headband was still clutched in her left hand, rigor-mortis making sure it stayed in place. Tobias rushed towards her, checking for a pulse even though he knew there wasn't one, while Sacks checked out the ground floor for intruders. Fornell sat back on his heels, staring at Diane and not feeling anything. Shock made him cold, but it also temporarily prevented him from feeling anything which was a blessing, because he knew that Emily wasn't here, she was with the killer. It hadn't penetrated his mind yet, that his daughter had been kidnapped and his ex-wife murdered. He stood and moved to get passed Diane and up the stairs, just in case he was wrong.

He wasn't. Emily was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you everyone for reading this story and showing such interest in it. Thanks especially to black widow mistress, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Huddly, MatteaAM, MissJayne, HesMines, babyred1995 and laoisbabe for reviewing it. Thank you all those who alerted it and favourited it, too.

Fornell stormed out of FBI headquarters and jumped into his car, tossing his case file on the seat next to him, slamming the door and viciously pulling his seat belt around himself. He had been up all night making sure the Agents scoured every inch of Dine's place for any trace of the man that had taken Emily, spending every moment immersed in the particulars of the case just so he didn't have time to think about what he had lost. He and Diane had not parted on friendly terms, but he had loved her once. He often joked with Jethro about OJ-ing her, but he hadn't actually wished her dead, and now she was, and his little girl was gone. Emily was at the mercy of a child molester, who even though he only attacks boys, is still a significant risk to her life. Just because he only enjoys young boys doesn't mean he won't kill her. Tobias cringed and found himself wondering if it would be better that he killed her, than extend his enjoyment to young girls. He closed his eyes and kicked the car, tears pricking his eyes at his own powerlessness. After securing the scene, he had been called into his Director's office and told that he was being taken off of the case because he was now too close to it to be objective. Damn right he was too close! That bastard had his little girl! Apparently his Director thought that 'being angry as hell still didn't give him the right to stay on the investigation', so he was going to go and see someone he knew would help him.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs could be an incredible pain in the FBI's collective butt, however he was Tobias' only friend, and someone he could trust to find Emily without worrying about the impact on the 'bigger investigation'. He still wanted to stop the killer from hurting anyone else though, and that was another reason to go to Jethro. He couldn't think of a single case where he hadn't gotten his guy, and even though there must be at least one, he had never heard of it. He took a steadying breath and then opened his eyes, starting the car and driving to the navy yard. It wouldn't do to succumb to tears before he had even tried to get back on the case, even if he was going to get Hell from his Director about taking it to another Agency. He had to keep a cool head around Jethro and especially Director Shepard, or they wouldn't help him, just think he was being over emotional.

He pulled into the parking area, and jumped out of his car, stalking towards the doors and angrily showing his badge to the receptionist. Why did he need a visitor badge anyway? He scowled and pinned it to his chest, stowing the manila case file under his arm and then walking to the elevator. If Gibbs was using his conference room right now he would have his guts for garters. He winced internally as the saying entered his thoughts. He had picked up that particular one from Diane… he reached the doors and pressed the button for the bullpen, using the short ride as an exercise in control. _Don't snap now, you are so close_. The doors opened and he stepped out hesitating momentarily. Should he go straight to Gibbs? He would take a little convincing, but he knew he could do it, and he would have help taking his case to Jenny, but she wouldn't like it. If he told her first he could get official NCIS backing and her help to get Gibbs to agree, and even if he didn't, she could assign another team to help him. He watched DiNozzo look up and narrow his eyes at him. Today he wasn't in the mood for the younger mans jibes, even if they were part of the usual charade of Agency hostility.

He looked over to Gibbs' desk, noticing he wasn't there. Well, his decision has been made for him then. He scowled at DiNozzo and then stalked past him, marching up the stairs and along the catwalk to Jenny Shepard's office. Cynthia, Jenny's Assistant looked up from her desk at his approach and smiled welcomingly at him, giving him the only real positive feeling he'd had all night. Gratitude. It took a lot to be so welcoming to everyone, especially when you had Gibbs habitually barging past you, but somehow Cynthia did it, and he was happy she did. It was more than likely a ploy by Jenny too, so you saw her smile and then Jenny's and assumed the Director was just as easily impressed. Then the door closes and you are trapped in her office with her, the tiger unleashed, playing with her prey, their confusion at her strategy amusing her. Invariably putting her in a good mood and allowing the victim to walk out unharmed. He wasn't unaffected by this ploy either, he was just better than most at hiding his reactions and deflecting her attention, usually to Gibbs. She was a strange woman, but a force to be reckoned with, which was another reason NCIS was the only option for him.

"Is Jenny in?" Cynthia nodded.

"Yes, but I think she's in a bad mood." He raised an eyebrow and she elaborated. "Gibbs' team just wrapped up the Sharif case yesterday, and then Gibbs bolted out the door after an army colonel, Hollis Mann." Cynthia whispered the gossip to him over the desk and he found himself leaning over to catch what she was saying. Did she think Jenny had super hearing? Because he doesn't.

"Red head?" he asked and Cynthia shook her head seriously.

"Blonde." He waved it off, laughing. A blonde? That'll be the day.

"It's just a phase. Trust me. If anything, he's testing Jenny's reaction." Cynthia grinned and shook her head. She hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. She checked that Jenny wasn't on the phone and then pressed the intercom.

"Agent Tobias Fornell here to see you, Director."

"_Thank you Cynthia, send him in._" she smiled and stood, rounding the desk and opening the door for him.

"Thank you." He said and nodded to her, walking into the room and stopping in front of Jenny's desk, deciding to take a seat. He wasn't sure his legs could hold him if she said no. She looked up from her computer and removed her reading glasses, placing them on the desk and then picking up a remote control. She pressed a button, and aimed it at the screen behind him. He turned, just in time to see the face of a man blink off. She put the remote in a drawer and then faced him, giving him the full power of her stare.

"Agent Fornell, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" she gave him a friendly smile and he found himself smiling back almost nervously. The request he was about to make of her was the biggest he had ever asked of anyone, especially since if she agreed, it could damage relations between the FBI and NCIS. She was all about interagency cooperation, but would she help when he technically didn't have the case?

"I'm here to make a request, Jenny." She raised her eyebrows at his use of her first name, but said nothing, instead sitting back to wait for his explanation. "The FBI has a case that we have been working on, that _I_ have been working on, for three years, and last night we thought we had our guy." He paused, collecting his thoughts together.

"You didn't?" she asked, guessing that something had gone wrong, and wondering why he was telling her about it. She had a feeling this would have more to do with Jethro than her. A brief flash of Colonel Mann's face made her take a deep breath; she closed her eyes briefly and focussed on Fornell. He was here to ask her for help, the least she could do was listen.

"No. He slipped past us and left something for me to find, me specifically." She frowned, the killer knowing who the investigating officer is, was bad, very bad.

"Are you asking for protection?" he shook his head.

"No. The thing he left for me was a few photos of Diane and Emily." She sat forward, and looked at him seriously, searching his face for something.

"Do you want protection for them?" she asked slowly, almost like she knew he was going to say no again.

"No. it's too late for that. Diane is dead; she was stabbed in the back. Emily… Emily is missing." He tried to keep his voice as level as he could but he knew he had failed. He could see Jenny looking more closely at him and he found himself wishing he could slap some concealer on his face like she could when she was tired.

"You've been thrown off the case." She said. It wasn't a question, and she was getting a clearer idea of why he was here, she just wasn't sure it was worth the risk. Did she want a child to die? No, but was she willing to openly investigate one of the FBI's cases using one of their own agents, who has already been taken off of the case because of personal involvement? Not unless he could give her a superlative reason to do so.

"Yes, my Director thinks I'm too close to the case to stay on it, but I'm the only agent who knows this guys method inside out. I can find his next house before he kills, I always do. The bureau just takes their sweet time sending me the resources I need to take him down." He stated heatedly. The bureau's red tape had cost more than a few children their lives, and now Diane had lost hers too. Jenny sighed and leaned back in her chair apologetically. Tobias _was_ too close and too angry to be let near any investigation, never mind one involving his own daughter. She couldn't help him.

"Tobias, there is a good reason why you were removed from the investigation…" she started trying to let him down gently, but Fornell wasn't finished.

"Why? So I won't kill him?" he threw the folder on the desk towards her and gestured to it. "I can't say I wasn't going to do that anyway." He watched as she dubiously picked up her glasses and put them on and then picked up the folder and opened it, reading through all of the information the FBI had on this case. Jenny felt the blood drain from her face when she read the MO and saw the autopsy pictures. Those boys had been subjected to so much horror and violence it was probably a good thing they were dead, recovering from it would have been a long, if not impossible, process. Was that what awaited little Emily Fornell? She closed her eyes briefly and sighed, she didn't need this. Now if she refused him, knowing in advance the things that this guy could do, she would look like some sort of cold hearted, self-serving ice queen and he would make sure everyone knew it. She took off her glasses and set them on the desk, fixing him with a calculating stare.

"You have put me in an awkward position, Tobias. If I help you, the FBI will never cooperate with our investigations again and could press charges because of our interference in this case, but if I don't help you, your expertise goes to waste and this guy gets the chance to kill more children, including your daughter. I don't appreciate being the only thing between Emily being saved or killed." She tossed the folder back on the desk and shook her head at him, narrowing her eyes crossly "What lengths would you be willing to go to, in order to save her?" he glared back at her, annoyed. Was she purposefully ignoring everything he said? This psycho had his little girl, he was going to do whatever it took to track him down and teach him a lesson.

"What lengths would _you_ be willing to go to, for family?" he fired back irately. He didn't know what it was about what he said, but her face instantly softened and her eyes flickered back to the screen behind him, before settling on his face. She nodded slowly, biting the inside of her bottom lip, and picking up the folder again. She passed him the folder and his heart sank. She was throwing him out. He hesitantly took the folder and stared hard at her. How could she do this? She smiled at him and then leaned towards him again, his confusion showing on his face.

"What team did you have in mind?" she asked, and just at that moment the door flew open, rebounding off of the wall and Gibbs stormed in. "Good morning Agent Gibbs. Sleep well?" Jethro shot her an odd look at her enquiry and then noticed Fornell.

"I didn't get much sleeping done actually, Jen. Thanks for asking." She glared at him behind his back when he turned his attention to Tobias. "I haven't even started a new case yet, Tobias. Is this the FBI's idea of a pre-emptive strike?" he smirked at Fornell, but Tobias couldn't muster one up in return. This was too serious.

"Actually Jethro, I'm here on personal business. I need help and you are the only one I can trust to do it right." He looked over the desk at Jenny and she inclined her head. It had been rather obvious he would choose Jethro; she wasn't going to deny him his choice of Agents for this case. He looked back at Gibbs and stood, giving him the option of a seat. Jethro gave him a quizzical look and made no move to sit, so Tobias took that as the go ahead to speak. He forced his feelings to the back of his mind once more and wringed his hands. "Diane was murdered last night and Emily has been abducted."

A.N.: I have no idea what 'OJ-ing' is. I assume it's an Americanism I'm just not familiar with. If anyone knows, could you let me know what it is please?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to everyone who alerted and favourite this story and helped me understand OJ-ing! Thanks to Karen19, cheether, MatteaAM, louise1717, HesMines, Huddly, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Lady Shelle Luv's Jibbs, black widow mistress, SiuanSedai and MissJayne for reviewing!

Waking up in a strange bed instantly put Jethro on alert, but the warm body curling up to him brought back the memories of the nights activities and put an easy smile on his face. Hollis was a lovely woman and she was a generous lover. He had anticipated a good night and he had, quite simply put, had a _great_ night. An unexpected bonus though, was that her blonde hair meant she hadn't reminded him of any of his ex wives or lovers. He hadn't had a flash of memory to one of his other bed fellows, so there had been no danger of him calling for the wrong woman. Not that he was very vocal anyway, and she had more than made up for his silence. All in all, she was a completely new experience, and one he intended to enjoy for as long as it lasted.

He looked over to the clock on the nightstand and read the numbers glowing in the semidarkness. It was 0700 hours. He carefully moved Hollis away from his body and got out of the bed, looking around the floor for his clothes and dressing. He would stop off at his place and get a shower; he could change his clothes while he was there too. He didn't want to turn up at work in the same clothes he was wearing last night. He picked up his jacket and made sure he had everything in the pockets and then walked towards the door. He stopped once he got there and looked back to the bed.

He wasn't naïve, he could probably fancy himself in love with Hollis, but he wasn't. There had been only two times he had really put effort into a relationship, really allowed himself to love, and both women had left him, one by choice. So he didn't even try now. The woman he was still in love with, the one that had chosen to leave, was so close to him every day but unavailable to him too, and sooner or later Hollis would figure out that what he wanted wasn't her. She would move on and so would he. Hollis opened her eyes and watched him, not saying anything, just waiting for him to make his move. He took a deep breath and made it.

"I'll call you." He swiftly turned around, and walked straight out of her apartment. If Hollis wanted to pursue something with him, she would have to find him, because although he had said he would call her, he had no intention of actually doing so. He winced in guilt; the expression on her face as he had left had shown such trust in him, even though she had known what lines he was thinking along, and he knew she wouldn't call him either. He got in his car and drove home.

Hollis was going to give him the space he needed to get his head off of the 'other woman' in his life. Well that was an impossible task. You can't just get your mind off of Jenny Shepard when you had known her like he had. When he saw her, spoke with her, and was a hairsbreadth away from touching her every day, he felt his mind snap back to focussing solely on her like the sudden releasing of tension from an elastic band. It was particularly bad since his coma and amnesia. He had mistaken her for Shannon at first, and then found he couldn't identify her mentally, but emotionally his heart sped at the sight of her.

When she had turned her back to retrieve the picture for him he hadn't been able to resist the urge to look at her, really look at her, up and down. It was like being alone on a strange island and trying to find water; you know what you want, you just can't see it even though most of the time, its right under your nose. His emotions had been confused at the time, volatile, but now he understood the anger and the loss.

He quickly sorted himself out at home and then jumped back into his car and went to Starbucks for his coffee before driving to work. They had no case yet so he wasn't in any particular hurry to get to the navy yard. He looked around the car park and his eyebrows rose when he spotted Fornell's car. He racked his brain thinking of a reason the FBI would be required in NCIS, but he couldn't think of anything. _Must be another team's_ _fault_. He shrugged and got out of his car, walking into the building and going straight up to the bullpen.

On his way up Gibbs thought about the last time he had seen Tobias was during the Paulson case, when he was worried about the guy finding and hurting Emily. It had been too long since his friend had dropped by for a game of 'whose case is it'. Tobias had come to him and asked him to help get Paulson back in jail, and so he had walked in to NCIS and asked Jenny for his badge back. He smirked and shook his head thinking about the fact she hadn't filed his retirement package when he had left for Mexico. It was like she had known he would want to come back once his memory was back. The first thing he had noticed about her was the strange highlights in her hair, blonde highlights. It looked better, longer, than it had when he had left, but if he was completely honest, he missed the long red locks that hung around her shoulders. The short hair was nice, but she suited it better long.

He growled low in his throat, annoyed at himself for letting his thoughts stray to her so easily. That was exactly why he couldn't keep a girlfriend around. They didn't like to be compared to the memories of other women. The lift reached his floor and he stepped out, walking purposefully into the nearly empty bullpen. Ziva appeared from another lift with her workout bag and Gibbs assumed McGee must be down with Abby, meaning Tony was the only one in his seat. Unusual. Tony immediately jumped up from his desk and walked over to him.

"Boss! Fornell just went up to Jen-" Gibbs glared at him. "-the Director's office." Gibbs nodded and walked away from DiNozzo, a little angry that Jenny had gotten so comfortable with his senior Agent that they were on a first name basis. He shouldn't be surprised, Tony was more easy going than him when it came to Jenny, he'd even let her join in on his campfire's, so maybe that was why she was friendly with him. Women like to be wanted. He took the stairs two at a time and then charged along the catwalk, throwing open both Cynthia's door and then Jenny's. Upon entering, he saw Tobias sitting opposite Jenny with an odd look on his face. Was that grief?

"Good morning Agent Gibbs. Sleep well?" Jenny greeted him, but her question struck him as bordering on unpleasant. He shot her a calculating look. _Was she jealous?_ He fought the urge to grin at her and instead answered her in kind.

"I didn't get much sleeping done actually, Jen. Thanks for asking." He turned to Tobias, noting the strained look on his friends' face. "I haven't even started a new case yet, Tobias. Is this the FBI's idea of a pre-emptive strike?" he smirked at him, but felt his stomach drop when Fornell's face became very serious.

"Actually Jethro, I'm here on personal business. I need help and you are the only one I can trust to do it right." Fornell looked at Jenny and Gibbs turned to watch her nod to him. He was asking Jenny's permission for something. Why? Fornell looked back at him and then stood, gesturing to the seat, but Gibbs didn't want it. It must be serious if he wasn't jumping right in with the explanation and it more than likely something he didn't want to hear. "Diane was murdered last night and Emily has been abducted."

Gibbs' eyes widened in disbelief and he simply stared openly at Tobias for a few seconds, before the reality of his statement and his presence in NCIS penetrated his brain, and he averted his eyes. He couldn't be serious. Diane was dead? Emily was gone? There had been no love lost between himself and Diane, and he was surprised to feel deep sympathy for her. She had hit him where it hurt and that had created a loathing that he couldn't shake, but he still had fond memories of her.

Emily abducted though, that was just too awful for Fornell. He'd just had his only family taken from him in one night. Jethro's jaw set and he tried to ignore the empathy welling up inside him. He knew the look in Fornell's eyes only too well. It was a sense of loss and grief so profound it was paralysing. He didn't want Tobias to go through that. He had nearly not made it through himself. Losing family was something he could identify with, but he really didn't want to. He had to distance himself; he had to focus on helping Tobias and finding Emily.

"How? Why?" Fornell opened his mouth to answer but he didn't have the strength left within himself to do so. He closed it again without making a sound and Jenny obliged him instead, filled Gibbs in on the FBI's case and everything that had happened last night. By the time she had finished, Fornell had sat back down and buried his face in his hands, willing himself not to lose control. They had forty-eight hours to find her before her life expectancy went down dramatically. He needed to get his focus back; he needed to save his little girl.

"Jethro, I am going to need you and your team to find Emily and we have no more time to waste." Tobias ground out, standing up and reaching over the desk to take the folder back from Jenny. She handed it to him and he walked purposefully out of her office. Gibbs watched him go before rounding on Jenny.

"He's not in control of himself. Why are you letting him work the case?" he asked angrily. He didn't really want to deal with Fornell's temper for however long it took to find Emily, and the reality was that they were more than likely not going to find her alive. Jenny would be up here in her office most of the day so she wouldn't be affected by his foul mood. Was this her idea of punishing him for the way he had acted towards her during the Sharif case? He might have been showing off to Hollis and he might have bordered on insulting, ok he had been insulting her, but that was no reason to foist an emotional agent on him, even if he was his friend.

"He's the lead agent, if anyone can find this guy, he can. Emily doesn't have the time to wait for another Agent to study his methods. You need him, and most of all, he needs to be useful." Gibbs narrowed his eyes at her. She really believed that, he could tell, but he felt like there was something more, something she wasn't telling him. She stared back at him unblinking, refusing to be the one to back down. Fornell reappeared in the doorway impatiently.

"Are you two going to gaze at each other all day or help me to find my daughter?" they winced at his tone, knowing he was just terrified for his little girl so they couldn't blame him for his impatience, and Jethro followed him out, intentionally leaving the door wide open behind him to annoy Jenny. It worked, and she sighed before getting up and closing it herself.

* * *

The house was everything he could want. It had the basics; a toilet, shower and running hot and cold water. It was semi furnished which was perfect; he didn't need much in the way of furniture for his lifestyle. The most attractive features though, were that it was on a housing estate with a garden full of trees for privacy, and isolation was key for his routine. He had quite a number of extra houses waiting for him in different names so he wasn't left homeless after the FBI raided his others. He grinned to himself and turned around in the driver's seat of his van. The back compartment was dark, the only light getting in from the small space he was looking through, and highlighting a small leg, just covered by a princess nightgown. The little girl was whimpering softly, huddling as far from him as possible. She was terrified of him, and for good reason.

He could have killed her mother in one of the rooms, but the stairs had been much more of a statement to Agent Fornell, and the effect the sight had had on the little girl had been worth the time he'd spent on the presentation. He jumped out of the van and walked slowly around to the back of it, making sure his footsteps were loud on the gravel driveway. He looked around, making sure there was no way anyone could see between the trees, and then unlocked the back doors. He heard the girl try to shuffle away from the doors and chuckled to himself. This might be more fun than he had first thought.

He pulled the doors open and light spilled onto the figure that was curled up as far as she could get from him. The girl whimpered louder and hid her face, trying to protect the purple bruise on the side of her face, too afraid of being hit again to scream. He grabbed the chain she was attached to and unhooked it from the side of the van, then pulled it, dragging the girl to him. She uncurled and scrambled around, trying to grab hold of something to stop herself, but he was too strong. He pulled her into his strong grip and carried her into the house, depositing his squirming bundle into the smallest, darkest, most secluded room in the house.

"M-my daddy will find me." She said to him, trying to make her voice sound confident, but the lost look in her bloodshot eyes belied her uncertainty. She had seen her mother's dead body, how could she possibly know that he hadn't killed her dad already too? He smiled at her and turned to the door.

"I'm counting on it."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you black widow mistress, MatteaAM, Huddly, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, HesMines, MissJayne, Pixie-Galaxy-Dust and YourFavoriteLabPartnerEver for reviewing! Thanks so much everyone!

Tobias Fornell stormed down the stairs from the Director's office and into the bullpen, not caring about the stares being directed his way from Gibbs' confused team. He walked straight to Gibbs' desk and sat down at his computer, quickly typing in his password so he could get into the FBI mainframe. They hadn't taken his clearance off the case, good. He opened the case notes from the new investigation and read through them, clenching his fists in fury. They were looking in the wrong places for this guy. Did his team not listen to him when they had tracked him down last time? Did they work with their eyes closed?

He took a deep breath and released it slowly, attempting to regain some measure of control and then opened the evidence report. They hadn't found much, though the most they had found was centred on Diane herself; she had been killed on the stairs and then rearranged on them post-mortem. The monster had moved her into the most dramatic pose he could, played around with her body and presumably then taken Emily past her. He shook his head mutely at the audacity of the man, shocked that anyone could be so cruel to his little girl.

"Alright, so how did you find this guy before?" Fornell jumped and looked up into Gibbs' face. He was expecting an answer to his question, so Tobias tried to empty his mind of what he had just read. He needed to keep cool or he could be thrown out by Jethro. He stood and rounded the desk, letting Jethro take his desk back and read through everything he had just seen before answering.

"I check housing estates for houses that have been bought but not lived in until a day or two after the last murder. He doesn't need them until he leaves the one he's in. He usually stays off radar for a day or two but I'm guessing that having Emily with him will put off his schedule slightly." Fornell ran a hand over his face helplessly, drawing the already rapt attention of Gibbs' team.

"Housing estates? What's going on boss, we got a case?" Tony asked, looking between his boss and the FBI Agent he was usually fighting with.

"Yes DiNozzo, we have a case." Gibbs filled in his team on the specifics of the case as quietly as he could. He didn't want to give the other teams something to gossip over whilst Tobias was here to overhear it. Fornell opened his file and tried to ignore the sympathetic glances and the pity that team Gibbs were shooting his way. They couldn't understand this, they couldn't know how this was affecting him, so he hoped to God they wouldn't offer their condolences. Only Gibbs could understand and from the looks of things he was trying his damnedest not to. He felt Gibbs' presence by his side and looked up from the file briefly.

"He only rapes boys Tobias, she'll be fine." Gibbs whispered to him. He knew that he was just trying to make him feel better but somehow that made him feel worse.

"Really Jethro? How the hell would you know that? You know as well as I do that child molesters hang around with other child molesters. He might not want her, but his friends might." He practically growled back at him.

"He has friends?" DiNozzo asked. He was attempting to lighten the mood but his words fell flat. Fornell rounded on him furiously, one part of him raring for a fight, the other already ashamed of his behaviour.

"Of course he does _DiNutso_; they form groups for self preservation. He'll invite them to his house to help him settle in. I want her out of there before they get there or no power on this earth will stop me from tearing them apart with my bare hands!" Tony watched Fornell walk away, wide eyed at how the older Agent had reacted to his words.

"O-kayyy…" Tony muttered, sending a 'be careful what you say' glance to his team mates. He knew all that stuff already, he wasn't some rookie that needed shouting at to keep him in line, he was an Agent, a damn good one and before that he had been a cop. He knew better than some Agents here what perverts did and how they acted. Ziva shook her head at him and then decided to ask a question of her own.

"Why housing estates?" she enquired, and both Gibbs and Fornell turned to answer her.

"It makes it easier to find the boys he wants to molest. Since he is part of the community, they trust him far more than they should. He invites them in to his house one day and then…" Gibbs answered, trailing off to indicate something terrible. Ziva shivered uncomfortably.

"Surely the parents wouldn't let their children go to a stranger's house alone?" she asked, wondering just what the parents could be thinking. This time Tobias answered, moving slowly towards her as he did so.

"That's the frightening part officer David. They integrate themselves quickly, become respectable people to their neighbours and gain the trust of the parents. You never know just what kind of person they really are until it's too late." Ziva opened her mouth to speak but he waved her off. "It's alright saying that it should be obvious but I could bring seven such men in here right now and after only a few minutes with them, you would never suspect them of such crimes." Ziva watched him turn back to Gibbs, and then she looked over to Tony. He nodded to her in agreement with Fornell's words.

"Back in Baltimore I had more than my fair share of molesters to deal with. One of them even tried to convince me to throw out the evidence on the case. I almost did too, but thankfully I had a bad feeling about what I was doing. I went to my supervisor, expecting to be reamed out, but he understood. Took me off the case, but he didn't hold it against me. I've never let another suspect play me like that." Ziva raised her eyebrows at him, not expecting a confession like that but understanding better how easily these men, and women, took advantage of the trust the people around them put in them.

"Checking for housing estates with non lived in bought houses…" McGee typed away on his computer, muttering to himself when his search brought back the numbers he had requested. "Wow, there are over a thousand." Fornell nodded, he'd had his own agents run the numbers a few times, he knew how many they had to sift through.

"Now look for houses that have been moved in to, starting from last night." He said, rounding the desk to stand behind McGee, watching the results as they popped up.

"Two hundred and four houses have been moved into in the last three days, I'll narrow it down to men-" McGee began, but Fornell cut him off.

"No don't bother; he threw us off last time by having his house under a woman's name. He could do it again." He said, annoyed that his own team over at FBI headquarters hadn't even begun sifting through the housing database yet. What were they doing over there? He wondered for a moment if they knew where he was and what he was doing, if they were letting him do all the work for them and then they would get there before him to get all the glory. He shook himself from those thoughts; he'd never seen or experienced anything like that from the FBI in all the years he had been with them. He was just getting snide and paranoid.

"How are we going to check two hundred and four houses? We don't have the man power for that and the FBI won't cooperate with us on this. They're more likely to have us impeded." Tony said, throwing his hands up in exasperation at the situation. They would never find Emily if they had to individually check each house. It would take them weeks to find her, even if they split up and took a house each and by then she would almost certainly be dead.

"Then we appeal to a force with more man power." Gibbs said, pulling out his phone and walking away from his team, moving towards the windows for a measure of privacy. "I've got a call to make." He punched in a number and then held his breath. This was the last thing he had expected to be doing any time soon since he had already accepted not seeing her again. He listened impatiently to the ringing on the other end and then the phone was picked up.

"_Hello?_" a female voice said on the other end. She seemed amused and yet cautious; as if she wasn't sure she wanted to pick up the call. Gibbs felt a momentary pang of guilt before he pushed it aside. They were both professionals, they could work together without their fling getting in the way.

"Hollis, I need to ask you a favour."

* * *

Jenny looked through the Intel that had been delivered to her just moments ago, her heart fluttering in excitement. This could be it, the moment she had been waiting over a decade for. She shifted in her chair uncomfortably. The team she had wanted to put on the case was working on another important one, namely Fornell's case, so she had decided to give this one to the next team that she trusted, Agent Taylor's. He was a good Agent, by the book but not rigidly attached to it that he won't take chances. His team were all hard working and efficient too, so they could probably pull this off just as well as Gibbs' team could. Cynthia buzzed the intercom and Jenny sat straighter in her chair, accepting the buzz.

"Yes Cynthia?" she asked, hoping that Taylor would be more prompt with his appearance than Gibbs, who seemed to delight in annoying her. She knew she was an easy mark when it came to him though, she had fallen hard for him seven years ago and she could quite honestly say she had never gotten over him. He was the one she wanted most, he fit with her so perfectly, their tempers and personalities were perfect halves of the same whole, and she fought off a blush as she remembered that their bodies were too.

She couldn't help but want him, love him, and he seemed to be taking advantage of that whenever possible. She closed her eyes and calmed herself, trying not to think about Jethro and that Hollis woman. She wouldn't last, Jethro couldn't keep a woman around for long, but it was salt in her broken heart to watch them together. She was just glad they didn't have any other cases together so she won't have to endure the sight of them checking each other out again.

"_Agent Taylor and his team is here Director_." Cynthia's voice brought her back out of her self-pity and she cleared her throat.

"Thank you Cynthia, send them in." The door opened and Agent Taylor walked in, followed by his team. They all sat in front of her desk when she indicated they should, pulling chairs from the conference table, and then turned to her expectantly. She smiled at them and then pulled out the file she had just been looking at, handing it over to Taylor. "I have an important assignment for you; it's quite a delicate matter so you shall have to be discreet. I trust that is acceptable?" Taylor nodded, his team following his lead and copying his movements. Jenny smothered a grin at them, they acted like Jethro's team did when she was around, always making sure it was okay with their leader, before agreeing with her.

"Of course Director. What's the assignment?" he asked, curious about the secrecy. He'd had a few covert cases before, but this one didn't feel like one of those, there was something different about it. Jenny watched his face and nodded to herself, glad she had chosen him. He wasn't an idiot, he knew this case was special and that meant he was intuitive, for a male. A very good quality, one that he would need for this assignment.

"I need you to pick up this man for questioning." She pulled out a photo and showed it to them. "His code name is Goliath."

* * *

Hollis listened to Jethro's plea for aid with a man hunt, and mentally turned over the pros and cons. This would be a good case to apply for retirement after if they saved the child, and it would be her chance to see if she and Jethro were actually going anywhere and she could decide what to do about him better. However it could kill her career if they failed to save the girl. The pros were tantalising though.

She wasn't going to wait around for Jethro if he didn't really want her, she was too old to believe in 'learning to love' and quite frankly she deserved better than to be used and cast aside when he found something better. She would happily sever all ties to him after this mission if he was still just using her to hurt his Director. She had seen what was going on there the moment she had entered the room, she was just amazed that they didn't seem to see it.

Oh but yes, she had seen the hurt on the other woman's face when Jethro had begun using innuendo in his report to her, and Hollis resented the fact he had been flaunting their not-quite-a-relationship just to cause someone pain. She wanted to retire, to settle down and start a family. If he didn't want the same there was no point in sticking around. She barely knew him and hadn't exactly invested a large amount of time in him, so she could gladly walk away if she felt he wasn't as interested as he should be.

"Alright Jethro, I'll ask my Director if he'll spare as many people as possible."

"_Thanks Hollis_." He said and then hung up. She looked at her phone for a few moments and then sighed. Time to get to work.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, black widow mistress, HesMines and MissJayne for reviewing!

Tobias Fornell rubbed his hands over his face tiredly, staring at the screen in front of him. He had stayed at NCIS through the night with Gibbs and his team, trying to narrow down the house to house search by contacting the estate agents and landlords that had sold the houses, and asking them for any pictures they might have of the person who had bought a house from them. The pictures had been faxed, emailed and express-posted to them, and they had quickly gotten busy sorting through them. For every picture that didn't match their guy or any know associates, they crossed the house off the list. Unfortunately, a lot of Estate agents didn't have pictures of any kind of the buyers, so they couldn't go through the entire two hundred and four that way, but they had shaved off fifty seven, leaving only one hundred and forty seven to go. Ziva threw down a wad of pictures on her desk and growled in frustration.

"Why have photos of some people but not all?" she asked irately.

"They think these people look suspicious or like they could be trouble, so they take pictures of them." Tony answered, throwing down his share of the pictures. "It's just a shame that the people that look suspicious usually have a spotless record, like Mr. Ashton here; not even a parking ticket." He said picking up one picture and showing it to her.

"Then why take a picture of him?" she wondered why the people that sold houses never did background checks. They just snap a picture and hope everything is fine.

"Stereotyping. He's covered in tattoos, so he _must_ be a felon." He threw the picture off his desk in annoyance. "This was a waste of time."

"Fifty seven houses down Tony." McGee reminded him from his desk. He was typing away on his keyboard and had been for hours. Tony didn't know how he did it, or why.

"I never said it was a _complete_ waste of time." He said, leaning back in his chair.

Just then the elevator stopped at their floor and Agent Sacks (Sachs?) stepped out. He looked around the bullpen and then started towards Fornell the moment his eyes landed on him. Fornell glanced up from Gibbs' computer and glared at the younger Agent as he moved closer. He had trusted him, but he hadn't even fought for him when he had been taken off the FBI case, he had just accepted it. He had better have a good reason for being here. The younger agent stopped in front of Gibbs' desk and addressed Fornell, ignoring Gibbs and his team entirely.

"Tobias, I sincerely hope you aren't doing what I think you are doing." He said, pointing at the computer that Fornell had been staring at for the past few hours.

"So what if I am?" Fornell answered challengingly. He wouldn't be told off by his own rookie. Sacks sighed and leaned over the desk.

"Tobias, the FBI detected your clearance being used to access the case file, but was unable to find the source." Gibbs looked proudly over to McGee, who had been busy scrambling Gibbs' computer connection from outside sources. McGee sat a little straighter in his chair, the only outside show of his preening under Gibbs' gaze. "They will be coming over here to forcibly remove you from the building and shut down NCIS's investigation into our case." He looked over his shoulder to the elevator and nervously back to his superior. "I'm supposed to be looking for you at your house but I figured you wouldn't be there." Tobias looked at his rookie with a certain gratitude that he usually never showed to anyone. He had come to warn him.

"They can't remove him unless they find evidence that we are investigating their case, and they won't find any." Gibbs clicked his fingers and pointed at the pile of photos strewn over Tony and Ziva's desks. The two Agents immediately began to gather them up and slip them into a card wallet, which Tony then labelled 'Holiday snaps'. Gibbs turned to Tim next and pointed at the computer. "McGee?"

"I've already made our connection untraceable, all I need is for Agent Fornell to close whatever he is viewing in the FBI mainframe and I can wipe the site history." He said confidently, his pride over Gibbs' unspoken praise making him more self assured.

"Do it." he said, closing the evidence report that Fornell had been viewing and then moving out of the way, pulling Tobias with him, so that McGee could get to his computer. Just then Jenny stormed out of her office, along the catwalk, down the stairs, moved right past the bullpen without acknowledging them and then she stepped into the lift. The fury radiating from her made Team Gibbs glad they weren't the ones she was going to go shout at. Something had obviously gone wrong with one of the other teams and she was less then pleased about it. They refocused on the task at hand, hoping that FBI Agents wouldn't step out of the lift until they were done.

* * *

Jenny glared at the team assembled before her on the sidewalk, near to Harrow's body and walked away, towards Ducky who was seeing to the body. When she had gotten the call, she hadn't been able to believe what she had been told. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to calm herself. 'Follow, do not engage', how difficult a task was that, really? Agent Taylor's team had picked up Goliath without any hitches, they had gotten him to disclose who was selling Ares and then they had found that man. She had been more than pleased with their performance during this case and had been hopeful that the rest of it would run as smoothly, but it hadn't.

The call had been Taylor's team reporting the man that was selling Ares, Charles Harrow, was dead. How had they managed to kill an unarmed civilian? She took a deep breath and checked her phone, only about ten minutes had passed since that phone call but it felt like hours. She had hurried here immediately, not believing what she had been told until she could see it with her own eyes. What would she do now? With Harrow dead there could be no auction, no auction meant no buyer, no buyer meant no meeting, which meant she had lost yet another chance to catch… but it didn't matter, did it? There would be another chance to get him, ten years of following him had proven that.

"Ah Director, I assume you want to know the cause of death?" Ducky asked once he saw her coming towards him. She held her tongue for a moment, the urge to bite his head off simmering just under the surface of her controlled façade. She didn't want to take all of the anger this case had provoked in her out on Ducky, he had just arrived like she had, but Taylor's team had wound her up _so_ far. They couldn't even give a good enough answer as to why they had chased him to death, 'he saw us' was the best she had been able to extract.

"Yes Doctor, I would." She said after a moment, and he looked up at her knowingly. He could see her control was close to snapping, so he decided a joke might be in order.

"Myocardial infarction, brought on by a high fat western diet and the mistaken belief he could run up all those stairs. Rigorous for most, rigor-mortis for him." he dropped his tone at the end and she couldn't help the small smile that escaped her. It was just the two of them there, well, and Harrow but he didn't count anymore, and she could feel herself relaxing. She didn't always have to be strong with Ducky, he had patched her up when she had been crying and screaming in pain from a bullet to the thigh so she really had nothing to hide emotionally from him. She could relax and be herself, more so then when she was alone with Jethro, because she couldn't afford to let him see how she felt about him, but Ducky already knew all about that.

"Thank you Ducky." She said and turned her gaze heavenward. What was she going to do with this case?

"What's really on your mind, Jennifer?" Ducky asked, startling her from her thoughts. He was bending to pick up the body and place it on a gurney and she decided to try diverting his attention from his question by helping him. "Thank you, but you know that didn't work." He said when he extended the gurney to its full size so he could wheel it to the van. She smiled and rolled her eyes at herself for thinking it would.

"I really needed this case to go well, Ducky. Harrow was just a pawn in a larger game, but without him I can't get at the real prize." She answered cryptically, not wanting Ducky to get involved in her struggle.

"What, or rather who, is the real prize?" he asked and she shook her head slightly at his intuitiveness, he was good, she had to give him that.

"An arms dealer I've been after for a long time, a decade in fact, so imagine how many people have died because of him in all that time. This was my chance to stop him once and for all, but…" she waved a hand at the gurney and Ducky nodded. "I've lost my chance."

"Not really Jennifer, after all… you just need a sixty eight year old Englishman." He said meaningfully and her eyes lit up. Ducky was willing to do that for her? She lost the spark in the same moment, remembering that Harrow hadn't actually concluded the auction.

"If he had declared a winner and we could see when and where the exchange would be, I'd take you up on that Ducky, thank you, but we don't. I'll talk again with Agent Taylor's team, but I think that this is where this case ends." She said sadly and he put his hand on her shoulder encouragingly.

"Don't count on it Jennifer, money is a great motivator, I would wager he concluded his business as soon as he could." He pushed the gurney to the van and she watched him go, and then walked back to where Agent Taylor's team was. They hadn't budged an inch from where she had left them. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance and then approached them.

"I expect a full and detailed report on Mr. Harrow's movements to be on my desk within the hour." She ordered and then stalked off to her car. She hoped Ducky was right about Harrow's greed, because she really needed to kick this obsession before it killed her.

* * *

Hollis Mann glanced up at the large building before her and mentally prepared herself to enter NCIS headquarters. Gibbs had faxed over a picture of the man they were hunting and a list of houses that needed checking out, but unfortunately she couldn't just start looking. Her Director had tried to call Director Shepard, but had been told she was out, so she had been sent to formally accept the request of aid that NCIS had given Army CID. The thing was that she had a feeling Director Shepard didn't know she was on her way. Gibbs had a reputation for doing things before asking, or telling, his Director about it, something she had witnessed firsthand, so she was expecting to be regarded with surprise rather than expectation, which was an awkward feeling.

She had, however, sent her officers out with the list and picture as soon as it had arrived, not wanting to shorten the life expectancy of the child because she had to play politics for her very busy Director. She shouldn't have, but she had, and she knew she wouldn't regret anything if they found the child dead. She had started her part of this as soon as she could; the outcome was out of her hands.

She entered the building and took the lift up to the bullpen. Upon stepping out she saw Gibbs team all suddenly freeze and then heave a sigh of relief, before scrambling around again. She raised her eyebrows when she saw Fornell sat behind Gibbs' desk with a nervous looking FBI Agent stood next to him. She moved towards Gibbs and greeted him.

"Agent Gibbs, has there been a break in the case?" she indicated the flurry of activity that his agents were all caught up in and he smirked before becoming very serious.

"No, the FBI might be coming over to take the case away from us." Her eyes widened and she looked over at the two FBI Agents currently in the room. If they were coming to take it away, why were there two of them here now? Fornell she could understand but what about the other one?

"Why would they do that? Unless…" she glared at him, suddenly realising what the flurry meant. "Unless this is one of their cases that you are investigating without their permission." She glanced at Tobias and felt a twinge of guilt for her outburst, the man looked broken, but that didn't give Gibbs the right to risk her job, and the jobs of her officers, by dragging her into an investigation that they had stolen from the FBI.

The elevator dinged again and everyone froze, turning to look at who exited. It was Director Shepard and she walked swiftly up the stairs and across the catwalk, only turning to look into the bullpen when she was nearly at her office. She did a double take when her eyes landed on Hollis, and the blonde sighed. Yep, she had no idea that she was involved in this investigation. She started towards the stairs when Gibbs' voice halted her.

"Where are you going?" he asked her and she turned to him, letting her frustration at the situation he had put her in, out in her words.

"My Director has sent me to officially accept NCIS's request of aid, and _that_ is what I am going to do." He nodded and then when she set off to Jenny's office, he fell into step with her. She rolled her eyes. If this was anything like the last time she was not looking back when she walked away after this investigation. He was sweet and charming, handsome and sometimes charismatic, but other times he was like this; manipulative, arrogant and cruel. Was it really worth the possible emotional pain to get involved with him fully?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Huddly, HesMines, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, babyred1995, MissJayne, black widow mistress, Romantic Southerner and MissOrlane for reviewing!

Gibbs led the way to Jenny's office, resisting the urge to place his hand on Hollis' lower back as he escorted her in, a motion that Jenny would no doubt see. He couldn't help but want to see the fire in Jenny's eyes when he showed Hollis off, it just made him believe for a few moments that she cared for him, though she was more than likely just bitter. The job she had didn't leave much time for personal pursuits and he knew that she was a tactile, sensual woman. Being cooped up for months in MTAC and meeting with stuffy politicians would be driving her mad and he was just glad that she was nowhere near desperate enough to date any of them seriously.

He pushed Jenny's door open unannounced and stood in front of her desk, Hollis following closely behind and throwing an apologetic smile at Cynthia. The ever patient assistant merely apologised to Jenny and then closed the door, hoping that one or both of them got reamed out for being so disrespectful of her position. Jenny glanced up at them and then proceeded to ignore them for a few moments, instead concentrating on the email she was writing. Upon completing it she took off her glasses and placed them on her desk. She looked straight at Hollis, for once ignoring Gibbs.

"Colonel Mann, what brings you to NCIS?"

"Director Shepard, my Director has sent me here to officially accept… this Agency's… request of aid in an investigation. He has tried to contact you many times but you were not in." She wasn't sure how Jenny would react to what she was saying, so she thought it better to say 'Agency' than 'your request', since it was Gibbs that had asked her. Jenny's eyes registered her surprise that Hollis was here for an investigation, and she turned her gaze to Gibbs.

"Well, I'm sure that Agent Gibbs was so impressed with your… prowess… during the last case that he momentarily forgot to run that by me." Gibbs smirked at her double entendre, but Hollis felt a stab of disappointment. _Here we go again, just like last time._ It was in this moment that Hollis decided she would never carry on what she and Jethro had started. He just couldn't seem to help himself when he was around Jenny, everything he did seemed to be a shout for her attention and Hollis could see the strain it was putting her under. She was hurt that he had gone over her head to ask for help, and even more annoyed that it had been his one time lover he had asked.

Hollis didn't like to mix business with pleasure, that was why she had never indulged in a relationship with any of her admirers at Army CID, and this incident just solidified that in her mind. She needed to romance a civilian, someone who would be there for her emotionally and physically when she got home from work. Jethro was not that man, and she found she wasn't that sorry to see him go. He had crossed a line by doing this to her.

"When it became clear the investigation was going to be bigger than originally envisioned, I requested help. I thought you wanted to improve relations with other Agencies." Jethro said almost smugly, enjoying the sudden flash in Jenny's eyes.

"I always want relations with others to be as good as we can make them, that cannot be achieved if I don't even know they are involved, Agent Gibbs." She replied, her anger masked by her sweet 'I'm right, so get used to it' tone of voice. Hollis ducked her head and smiled a little. She enjoyed listening to their banter, there was something engaging in it, though she didn't like being the cause of it, or the excuse for it.

"You were busy, as Colonel Mann just said; even her Director couldn't get through to you." Jethro pointed out, quite rightly, and Jenny sat forward in her chair, ready for the fight.

"Yet you are in the same building as me, and you still can't find the time to tell me? Or better yet, tell Cynthia?" she said, equally as right about the situation, but neither just giving up and admitting they could both have done more to keep the case running smoothly.

"I wanted this wrapped up as soon as possible." He replied and Jenny almost scoffed, but controlled herself just in time, not wanting Hollis to see her lose control, which she thought must be Jethro's plan; embarrass the ex to put the current at ease. Well she wasn't falling for it.

"Your excuses are so thin, Jethro, I wonder why you even bother giving them." she said rather smartly and his eyes betrayed his enjoyment of their conversation, even though they were both getting annoyed with each other.

"If you would rather that my team checks out one hundred and forty seven houses on their own, I'm sure Army CID wouldn't mind pulling their resources. Emily will most likely be dead before we find her though." Hollis winced at the low blow and then carefully schooled her expression, waiting for the outburst.

"If you think I am unaware of the stakes in this case, Agent Gibbs, you are sadly mistaken. I have not expressed any dissatisfaction with Army CID's involvement, merely your silence on the matter when it should have been brought to my attention _first_." Her eyes burned into him and the part of him that enjoyed her anger was thrilled with her fire, the other part was annoyed that he was here arguing with her when he could be helping his friend to find his young daughter before it was too late. "Colonel Mann, I will call your Director after this meeting, I am glad that it was you who came in answer of this request. You have shown that you take your work seriously and professionally…" she glared at Gibbs and then turned her attention back to Hollis. "… and that you can handle Gibbs, which is definitely a necessity. I look forward to the conclusion of this case, which with your Agencies help, has a much higher probability of success."

"Thank you Director." Hollis said, taking that as her dismissal and turning to the door. Jethro followed her out and Cynthia glared at him, annoyed with his constant disrespect, which he thought he was showing to Jenny, but really it was her who took it to heart. It was her job to allow people through to the Director's office, it was her job to see to it that she wasn't disturbed, but every time he barged past her, it showed she couldn't do her job properly. She was just thankful that Jenny understood how difficult Gibbs could be; otherwise she would have been sacked by now.

* * *

Tobias couldn't wait any longer; he needed to be out there looking for Emily. The house filtering process was lengthy and boring, but necessary, though right now he had no patience. Who knew what could be happening to his daughter right now? He winced, he did; he knew everything that the monster could be doing to her. His little angel was in such terrible danger, and all he could do was sit in a room and stare at a computer screen while she was terrified and alone. He clenched his fists and stood, picking up the list of houses and fully intending to go out and check them himself, but he was cut off by Gibbs just as he reached the elevator.

"Where do you think you are going Tobias?" Gibbs asked him angrily, putting his hand in front of him to stop him from calling the elevator. Fornell let out a harsh breath and furiously glared at Gibbs.

"I'm leaving to look for my daughter." He ground out, clenching his jaw at the self confident look on Gibbs' face. Did he think he could stop him? This was Emily they were talking about; nothing would stop him from tearing the entire city apart to find her.

"No you aren't." Gibbs said quietly, trying not to attract the attention of any other teams. This was one case he didn't want anyone else's opinion on. Fornell grew even more furious at his supposed 'friends' interference.

"You can't keep me from the search, Gibbs!" Gibbs grabbed Fornell by the arm and pulled him around the squad room until they were around the corner of the steps, away from prying eyes and ears. Gibbs pushed him roughly into the corner and trapped him against the wall, so he couldn't leave without hearing him out.

"What do you think he will do to Emily if he makes you? He knew where to hurt you Tobias, he knows what you look like, and if you join the search he will recognise you. Emily will suffer if he does." Tobias shook his head, he didn't want to hear this, it was exactly why he needed to find her, to save her, but he had a point.

"Then what do you suggest? That I stay here and do nothing?" he shouted, not quite believing that his friend could suggest something so cruel.

"You are not going to be doing nothing! You have set us on the right track to finding your little girl and with your help, we will. You just need to get more involved in what is going on here; organise relief aid for Emily and any other children he could have in his house when we find him. Go through your methodology more thoroughly, see if there is anything that can help us." Fornell still seemed torn, though and he vacillated on whether he should do as Gibbs said, or not. "Trust me Tobias; I will put all of my energy into finding Emily, as I would do if she were my own daughter, I promise you." Fornell nodded, how could he argue with that?

Gibbs watched his friend walk back to his desk and he felt the hot prick of tears behind his own eyes. Images of his own young daughter filled his mind and he closed them against the pain. He hadn't been able to do anything to save Kelly, but he could and would do everything in his power to find Emily and shield his friend from the pain he felt every day. He walked behind Tobias, back to the bullpen and approached Hollis.

"Any word from your people? We need to know which houses are not under suspicion, as well as the ones that are." Hollis nodded and produced a list from her pocket, handing it to him.

"My people have already started to send back reports on each house, including who _is_ living there just in case." She said and he looked it over, nodding. He walked over to Tony and put the paper on his desk.

"Cross these houses off the list DiNozzo, and then start coordinating with CID to have them checking the ones that have only just been moved into first. We need ever advantage in this case."

"Yes boss."

"And what case is that Agent Gibbs?" a voice said behind him, and he turned around slowly, making a show of how unsurprised he was. Two men stood behind him, both FBI Agents, and they didn't look very happy to see Tobias and Sacks in the squad room. The two men picked up the paper that Gibbs had just placed on Tony's desk and looked it over. Ziva and McGee took the opportunity of their backs being turned to clear up the case notes and pass them to the Agents over the wall from them. Those Agents then passed the evidence and notes to Agent Taylor, who found a very good reason to visit Director Shepard.

"Where do you think you are going Agent…?" one of the FBI Agents said, stopping Taylor in his tracks. The Agent began to look through the pile of papers that he was holding, but was stopped by Taylor's voice.

"Agent Brian Taylor and I'm going to my Director's office to deliver the evidence on the case I am working on. The one to do with 'Ares'. She will not be happy if the FBI hinders this investigation, or involves itself with any of the evidence." The two men stepped away, both knowing they had no authority over Ares, and allowed him to continue. "Thank you. It's nice to know our Agencies really can cooperate with one another." Taylor said caustically and then he made his way up the stairs, pausing only to catch Gibbs' eye. The evidence was safe; for now.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Romantic Southerner, alix33, Huddly, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, , black widow mistress, MissJayne and HesMines for reviewing!

"What is this exactly?" the FBI Agents converged on Tony's desk and looked over the paper they had seen there, exchanging significant glances as they read the contents. "A list of houses, how interesting." One of the Agents said to the other.

"Very interesting since the case we are working on turned up the same house list." The other, older Agent said, dangling the paper in front of DiNozzo to get a reaction. To his credit, Tony simply stared at them and leaned back in his chair nonchalantly, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Oh really? What a strange coincidence." Ziva said, making the agents put the paper back on Tony's desk and turn to look at her, so Tony could pick up the paper and exchange worried glances with Gibbs.

"Yeah, this is a list of houses I was browsing when I decided to move house, but after checking up on them a moment ago, I found they had all been bought already." Tony added, grimacing at the last part when the Agents turned back to him, as if the loss of all those houses from the market caused him physical pain.

"How inconvenient for you." the younger Agent said dryly and Tony grinned at him.

"Yeah, but I'm happy to stay where I am for now." The FBI Agents scowled but then decided to move away from him. Gibbs and Mann moved closer to Tony, who swiftly passed the house list to Hollis, who moved over to Ziva. Ziva took the paper and passed it over to the Agent behind her, who sandwiched it in a folder and handed it to Agent Sandy Jones, one of Taylor's team. She slipped the folder into Taylor's top drawer while pretending to put something else in his in tray.

"Then you won't mind if we take a look around your desks for anything that could be FBI case related?" they said, already checking through draws in McGee's desk. The team left their desks and stood by Gibbs while the FBI looked for the evidence they had already moved.

"By all means knock yourselves out. There is nothing for you to find." Gibbs said smugly. The older FBI Agent looked up at Fornell and narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Why are you in NCIS Fornell? You should be at home waiting for news or hostage demands." Tobias bristled in anger and stood up from behind Gibbs' desk, taking a step out towards the other Agent. Sacks loyally moved with him, giving him the backup he might find himself needing.

"Don't tell me what I should be doing Ellis. Oliver, you were trained better than this." Oliver avoided Fornell's eyes, not able to look at him and see the disappointment. All of the Agents in the FBI that knew Fornell and liked him had been shocked when his family had been killed, and outraged when he had been removed from the case, but what could they do? Complain? The handbook was very specific about cases like this and to complain would be to go against the rules. That could give them a suspension if they pushed too far.

"He was helping me look through my house list." Tony spoke up and Ellis turned to him doubtfully. This game was getting tiring, and he hoped to find what he needed soon.

"Really." he said, his tone flat with disbelief.

"Yeah, after his divorce he had to go house hunting, so he does have experience in this area." Gibbs said, exchanging a conspiratorial but encouraging look with Tobias. Fornell gave him a small smile, remembering the time Emily had let Gibbs use her room when his house had termites. He had told Gibbs that if he had listened to him about Diane he would still have a house with a guest bedroom for him. His heart constricted, _Emily_.

"Nothing here sir, there is no evidence they were looking into our case." Oliver reported after looking through all of Team Gibbs' desks. Ellis clenched his jaw in frustration; they had won, this time, but there were plenty of chances for them to be caught out.

"What case is that by the way?" Gibbs asked, his voice dripping with forced civility and curiosity.

"We'll be watching your people, Gibbs. You'll slip up eventually." Ellis said confidently, his fists clenching when Gibbs just stared at him condescendingly. _Of course I will, you've outwitted me so far, _the look said and Ellis decided he had never met a more annoying man.

"I doubt it; his shoes have a sturdy grip." Ziva said, in her most 'confused Israeli' voice, making the FBI guys give her strange looks and her team to barely suppress their laughter. Ellis and Oliver were not impressed, but they didn't want to stick around where the only thing waiting for them was ridicule.

"Whatever." Ellis groused. "Sacks take him home and make sure he stays there." Sacks stood completely still, not moving from Fornell's side and not ushering him out of the building, making Ellis even more annoyed. What was it with this building? Did it brainwash all of their Agents to disobey?

"I don't think so, he's staying here." Gibbs declared, his tone brooked no argument from a lesser Agent perhaps, but Ellis was just as experienced as Fornell, and he wasn't going to back down.

"Excuse me?" he said, almost in disbelief. Did Gibbs think he could order FBI Agents around?

"You heard me. You don't have the authority to remove anyone from this building, least of all a welcome guest." He said; his voice even, but with a subtle undertone of a threat. Ellis moved closer to Gibbs until he was almost toe to toe with him.

"Are you interfering with FBI Agents and their business?" he asked, his voice not even attempting to hide the threat in it. Gibbs smirked at him, not backing down.

"Of course not, but if you want him removed, you'll have to have your Director give my Director a call." Gibbs replied, not at all intimidated by Ellis.

"We may just do that." He said and then he turned on his heel and walked to the elevator, Oliver following. As soon as the elevator doors closed on the FBI Agents, the room gave a sigh of relief and everyone returned to their desks, putting everything Oliver had removed back into its original place.

"Thank you, Jethro." Tobias said, his gratitude completely heartfelt. That had been a very close thing. Who would have thought the FBI Agents would take the stairs in an attempt to catch them out?

* * *

Samuel Addams, the resident tech of Team Taylor, was rubbing his eyes and squinting at his report, which he had been writing for nearly the entire hour that Director Shepard had given them to write it and have it on her desk. Something was bothering him about this, he just couldn't figure out what it was. He sighed and pushed his chair back away from his desk, jumping into the air when a squeal of pain erupted from behind him. McGee hopped on the spot for a moment, his foot having been run over by Samuel's chair.

"Oh my god, Agent McGee, I'm so sorry." Sam exclaimed.

"Forget it; it's nothing… sign of weakness." McGee mumbled and stopped jumping, trying to breath evenly. "What was your hurry anyway?" he asked while retrieving the folder from Taylor's top drawer that contained the house list.

"Oh, well I've got to write a report on a dead guy's movements and have it on the Director's desk before the hour is up, but there is something bothering me. You see, we tailed this guy, he was supposed to be finishing an auction online but he never went anywhere with internet access." Samuel said. Trying to remember every step the deceased had made was exhausting. McGee leaned close to Sam's computer and read through his report, his brow drawing together in concentration.

"Are you sure? It says here that he went to a café; I know that a lot in that area are internet café's. Did he stay long in any?" McGee asked, a small smile playing around the corner of his lips as Samuel's eyes lit up.

"Agent McGee, you're a genius! Yes he did, he was in one for about ten minutes. Thank you." he swiftly ran off to the stairs, taking him to the Director's office. He narrowly avoided a collision with Gibbs and Agent Taylor, who were bringing the rest of the evidence on Fornell's case back down to the bullpen, and had to catch his breath before Cynthia could understand a word he had said to her when he came to a stop in her office. "I… need… see… Director… information." He took a deep breath and Cynthia nodded. He turned on the intercom and spoke into it.

"Agent Addams to see you Director, he has information he'd like to share with you."

"_Send him in, Cynthia_." Cynthia showed him in and closed the door behind him, and Samuel realised it was the first time he had set foot in the Director's office alone. She watched him catch his breath patiently and then spoke to him.

"Agent Addams, you're early, however I can't help but notice you are empty handed." She had been expecting his report, but he hadn't thought to bring it, the information he had was much more exciting.

"Madam- err, ma'am- err Director Shepard I just thought of something." Jenny endured his stumbling over her title with good humour but her patience was wearing thin. It was his and Agent Jones' fault that Harrow was dead. "He was in an internet café ma'am; he may have concluded his auction." Jenny's eyes lit up, and she stood from her desk.

"Can you find out for sure?"

"If I can hack the server, ma'am, yes." She nodded and pointed to her computer.

"Do it."

* * *

Emily Fornell curled up into a little ball and tried to stifle her tears. The bad man had his friends over again. Last time he had warned her to stay as silent as the grave, because if they heard her, that was where she would end up. They liked girls, he had said, and the last thing he wanted was for his little game to be over so quickly because one of the guys got frisky. She shuddered in fear and covered her mouth and nose with a hand in an attempt to quiet herself. She didn't know what 'frisky' was, but it gave her a very bad feeling, the kind that let you know when you are about to throw up so you can get to a toilet before it happens.

A whimper from the other side of the room made her jump and she glared sharply at the other occupant of the small, dark room. It was a boy, just younger than herself, which her captor had brought in late last night. He had said his name was Neil, and that he had been dragged into the bad man's van from an alley, where he had been taking a shortcut home from the local swimming pool. The bad man had been ever so excited to have Neil in the house, and Emily knew that could only mean terrible things for both her and him.

Neil was shaking in terror, just like she was, but he couldn't control his fear noises yet, he hadn't had as much time as she had to get used to the long hours with nothing to do but be scared. She didn't spend as much time thinking about what could happen as she had in the beginning; she tried to think of ways she could help her daddy to find her instead. She hadn't come up with anything yet, but it gave her something to occupy her mind and it kept her spirits up. This method had enabled her to not think about her mother's dead body, her scream of pain and terror when the bad man had plunged that knife into her back or the blood coating the stairs. Neil let out another whimper and Emily turned to him urgently.

"Please be quiet. If they hear you they will come over to see us, and I don't want them anywhere near me. Please." She whispered to him, her small voice shaking with fright. What if they heard her talking to him? Neil tried to nod and then covered his mouth and nose like she had done, his noises quieting quickly. She breathed a sigh of relief, noting that the sounds of laughter from down the hall hadn't stopped or come any closer. They were still relatively safe for now.

* * *

Cecelia Howard groaned and rolled her neck experimentally. She and her search partner, Jake Travis, had been to eight houses today, and the drive between each was long. Who knew that sitting in a car for hours on end would mess up the muscles in her neck so badly. Jake took his eyes off the road for a moment to throw a glance at her in amusement.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow at his not so subtle sniggers.

"You. I think your lack of physical fitness is finally catching up with you." he grinned cheekily at her and she sat up straighter in mock indignation.

"Keep dreaming, my body is never going to get to the sorry state yours is in Mr Beer gut." She threw back, pocking his toned stomach playfully. He swiped at her hand and she slapped at his, turning the boring drive into a play fight. It was over too soon and they both sat back, watching the houses pass by, looking for their next target. Jake took the turning into the housing estate and they parked outside number 45, the house on their list. It was a nice house, the garden had trees in that shielded the house from the neighbours and there were lights on, so someone was obviously home.

"Last house of the day, Ce." Jake said, unfastening his seat belt and looking once more at the photo of the kidnapper they were looking for.

"Yep. Let's get this done and go home." Cecelia replied, jumping out of the car and walking towards the front door of the house. Jake noticed a van parked around the side of the house and then called to his partner.

"Ce! Van, I'll check it out." He pointed to the vehicle and started walking towards it. Cecelia nodded and continued onto the front door. The van and location looked promising, and she began formulating a cover in case their man came to the door. They don't have the man power to take him down if he has guests, but alone she and Jake could take him out. She smiled slightly to herself, thinking about the moment she could hand over the living, breathing child to her father and she promised herself she would do it, she would make that thought a reality. She and Jake had been through Army training together; they had gone to CID together and they knew each other inside out. If anyone could do his job right, it was them.

She blinked, realising she was already standing in front of the door and rolled her eyes at herself. Yes they could do anything; if she could keep her head in the game rather than daydreaming. She raised her hand and knocked on the door. Voices sounded from inside and her hopes shattered, it sounded like at least four people. The door opened and Cecelia looked upon an unfamiliar man. It wasn't the man from the photo after all. She internally scolded herself for letting her imagination run wild.

"Yes? Who are you?" the man asked, looking her over curiously. She forced a smile on her face and pulled out a book, readying herself for her Jehovah's Witness act. The man took one look at her book and spoke before she could part her lips. "We don't believe in that! Go away!" Cecelia took a step forward to try and get her foot in the door but froze when she looked past the man into the house, seven men stood in the hallway, bottles of beer in hand, silly grins on their faces, but that wasn't what made her freeze. The man from the photo was with them. He'd been turning away from the door so she could only hope he hadn't seen the recognition in her expression. Not wasting any more time she calmly walked away from the door and towards the van, looking to see if Jake was finished checking it out.

"Jake? You done?" she called out in the loudest whisper she dared. Jake appeared from the side of the van, a camera in his hands and a troubled expression on his face.

"Yeah, you?" he asked, seeing the near panic in her expression. "Hey, are you ok?"

"He's here! He's in there I just saw him." she whispered, her voice shaking slightly. Jake smirked and put his camera away.

"Good, we can take him out now." Jake pulled out his gun, but Cecelia grabbed it and hid it.

"Put that away, they could be watching. He's got at least seven friends in there with him, we have to call the Colonel." Jake nodded and they walked sedately back to their car, trying to look as unsuspicious as possible. Once they were belted in Cecelia picked up her phone and dialled Colonel Mann, while Jake drove them around the corner and out of sight of the house. "Colonel Mann? It's Cecelia and Jake, team five. We found him."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: As HesMines pointed out, Hollis is a lieutenant Colonel, I just called her Colonel because I was used to how Tuvok was addressed in Star Trek Voyager. Even though he was a Lieutenant Commander, he was usually just addressed as Commander or lieutenant, rather than the full title. I'm sorry if it caused anyone any confusion. (_Chakotay's field rank was supposed to be Commander but he wears the rank of Lieutenant Commander… weird._) Rant over. Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, alix33, HesMines, black widow mistress and MissJayne for reviewing!

Jenny watched as the emails flickered up on the screen, Samuel having hacked the server from the internet café moments ago. She read through each one, excitement bubbling up in her belly and a broad grin breaking out on her face. La Grenouille was the highest bidder. This was it, everything she needed to know was there on the screen, the coordinates which led them to… she mentally triangulated, wishing for a moment that Gibbs was with her, he was like a human map… ah! Quebec, Canada. A border snatch, she chuckled slightly, making Samuel look up at her in confusion.

She ignored the look, she had what she needed to take La Grenouille down and this was her best chance to do so. She just had to get Harrow to that rendezvous… damn. She momentarily felt her shoulders fall as disappointment hit her hard. Harrow was dead, she had nothing. She sighed in frustration, she had been so close and yet she still failed, he still got away… then she remembered that Ducky had volunteered to help her. She turned to her phone and punched in Ducky's extension number, impatiently waiting for him to pick up the phone.

"_Doctor Mallard_." He said as he picked up the phone.

"Ducky? Is your offer still out there?" she asked, coming straight to the point. Time was of the essence and the rendezvous was a long way away. If he agreed, she would have to do some fast talking with an associate, perhaps Frank; he had a helicopter that they could use.

"_Of course my dear, have you found what you needed?_" he asked, a little hesitantly.

"Yes Ducky, you were right, he had concluded the action. I'm not making any rash decisions, don't worry. I have it all thought out. Come up to my office, we can go through what we'll need to do." She said with a smirk on her face at the doctor's caution. He always thought things through more than she and Gibbs ever did, probably why they were still alive. She put down the phone after he agreed to come up and then she turned to Samuel and pointed to the door. "Go get Ares and bring it up, along with Taylor and the rest of your team. This is your second chance."

Samuel jumped up from her desk and strode to the door, opening it and barrelling out to get what she had asked for. She smiled and picked up her cell phone, now to call Frank for that ride.

* * *

Hollis Mann pulled out another paper from the fax machine, reading through it carefully and then sighing. Team ten had reported their quota of houses to be clean and legitimate. The house owners were friendly and happy to oblige when they asked to see some ID, which usually raised some eyebrows. Who would knock on someone's door to ask for their ID? She had to hear from teams two, five, nine and twenty three yet, everyone else had reported in. she picked up the fax and put it on Tony's desk so he could note down the clear houses, the list they had first given them shrinking rapidly.

Just then her phone began to vibrate, so she pulled it out of her pocket and walked away from the bullpen, coming to a stop in front of the windows for a little privacy. She looked at the caller Id and noted that it was one of her subordinates. One of her teams was calling rather than faxing, strange. She eagerly flicked her phone open and spoke in to it.

"Lieutenant Colonel Mann." She identified herself and waited to see what the call was about.

"_Colonel Mann? Its' Cecelia and Jake, team five. We found him_." the female voice on the other end was shaking slightly, almost like she was afraid. Hollis was concerned for a moment, but all of her teams were more than capable of taking care of themselves. She pushed the thought from her mind for the moment, they had found him?

"Excellent, team five. Where?" she asked, taking out a pad and pen. She jotted down the address and then tore out the page, putting the pad back.

"_House number 45, there were at least seven other men with him, possibly all perverts or neighbours, but I'm not sure. Jake found a van Colonel, I'll put him on_."

"_Colonel? Jake here, it looked like there was a little blood on the floor of the van, so probably second hand blood, maybe from the girl's mother, and there was a swimming kit in there too, a young boys kit_." He said significantly, and Hollis felt her stomach drop. Another child in danger from this sick creep, great.

"Stay close to the house and tell me when anyone leaves, backup will be with you shortly." She hung up and strode over to Gibbs' desk, slamming the piece of paper on the desk in front of Gibbs and Fornell. The two men looked up in surprise and irritation; their headaches could have done without the loud bang. "One of my teams found him. They didn't see Emily; just a full house of perverts and the swimming kit of a young boy, so there might be another child in there. This is the address, how do you want to play this?" she asked, not wanting to point out that she had the larger force when it wasn't really her case, particularly not when the little girl's father was standing right in front of her.

"We need transport and a medical team. I'll ask Ducky, go get transport sorted out." Gibbs ordered, walking towards the elevator. He pushed the button and waited for the doors to open, striding in without a second thought. Ducky walked out nodding to him as he passed, causing Gibbs to do a double take and hold the doors so he could get back off the elevator.

"Hello Jethro." he said, heading off towards the Director's office. Gibbs walked after him.

"Duck, need to talk to you right now." Gibbs said, stopping Ducky's progress towards the stairs. Ducky sighed and looked at his watch before facing him.

"I seem to be in demand Jethro, the Director wishes to see me now, too." he said, a note of reproach in his voice when he saw the way Gibbs grin widened. Getting him before Jenny when she had asked for him first would be the icing on the cake for Jethro at any other moment, but right now he was focussed on finding Emily.

"My request is much more urgent than hers, we found the guy that took Emily." Gibbs said, the urgency he spoke of tingeing his voice. Ducky's brows drew together in confusion.

"Emily?" he asked, not at all aware of the case that they were working. Gibbs nodded and then clarified.

"Emily Fornell, she was kidnapped and Diane was killed." He said, gesturing over to Tobias, who was speaking with Hollis and Tony.

"Oh Jethro, that's awful! You say you found the man that took her? Is she with him?" he asked cautiously, wondering what he wasn't being told.

"We don't know, but it looks like he took a young boy." Ducky raised an eyebrow, confused.

"He's a pervert, child molester, favours boys. He took Emily because Fornell was the lead on the FBI case that was working to bring him in. We need you with us when we take this guy down Duck." He said, hoping Ducky would be all for it.

"Jethro… I have committed myself to another operation tonight, I-" he began, but Gibbs cut him off.

"What other operation? No one else has a-" Gibbs cut off angrily, his mind clearing to the way Jenny had been acting, to what Agent Taylor had said. Something about Ares. He pointed up to Jenny's office. "One of her operations? Is anyone going to die or be wounded in that operation?" he asked. Ducky raised his eyebrows at his irritation.

"Hopefully not Jethro." he said carefully, thinking about what he had volunteered to do. He might be in danger himself, but no one else should be.

"Then you are vital to my operation than hers!" Gibbs shouted, turning to run up the stairs, nearly knocking Samuel over as he lugged a large white case up the stairs. Ducky followed him, not happy about Gibbs' outburst, but concerned about Emily. Jenny had been very upset when Harrow had died, she would not welcome Gibbs trying to take him from her plans, particularly not since he had volunteered to help her.

"Jethro, wait!" he called after him, but Gibbs was already storming through Jenny's door.

* * *

Jenny hung up her phone, the call with Frank a success. He would lend her the helicopter and they were square, which was fine by her. She had so many favours that she could call in at any time it was difficult remembering them all. She put her phone on her desk and looked over the time and place of the exchange one more time. Agent Taylor would be up in her office soon, and they could get on with executing this mission. She looked at the time, wondering where Ducky was when she heard raised voices from outside her office. She stood and rounded the table, intent upon finding out what was going on.

"_Jethro, wait!_" a voice said, which she recognised as Ducky and she closed her eyes briefly in irritation. What now? Gibbs stormed through her door, making her very glad she had stopped in front of her desk, or she would have been hit by it. He walked straight up to her and glared.

"I take it this is important? I have a meeting in here with Agent Taylor's team in a few minutes." She said evenly, trying not to let her temper feed off of his, knowing where that could lead when he was so close to her. She swallowed and raised her chin almost defiantly; waiting for him to talk to her, or more likely, shout at her.

"I need Ducky." He said and she smiled, her mind turning it another way, helping her to fight off the chemistry that had sparked up between them. Her body almost felt like it was humming a tune that she knew so well, a tune they both knew so well.

"He's not a redhead." She said, with as straight a face as she could manage. Gibbs' eyebrows drew together in confusion for a moment before he realised what she meant. He rolled his eyes and grunted in annoyance.

"You know damn well what I mean." He growled at her, and she fought not to take another step forward and take advantage of how dark his blue eyes were becoming. She needed to distance herself. She looked away and turned around, moving behind her desk, putting them both more at ease, allowing the anger to take over the attraction.

"Actually I don't. You've told me that you need him, not why." she replied smartly and he moved closer to her desk, leaning over the top of it. He had a much higher chance of winning if he could crowd her, but she was determined not to let him.

"We've located the guy that took Emily. We need Ducky with us when we go get her." he said, his voice dropping to a more reasonable level, but not losing any of the steel. She felt her stomach drop. There was no way he was taking Ducky. She needed him more. This was her chance to take down La Grenouille and she wouldn't give it up without a fight.

"I need him too. There are other medical professionals, Gibbs, and Ducky's speciality is corpses and psychology. I doubt you need him as much as I do unless you think Emily is dead or psychotic." She said evenly, unwilling to part with the only person she knew of that could sway this mission for her when Gibbs could have Army medics or even civilian paramedics help him.

"I need this to stay in NCIS jurisdiction. Involving anyone else with the rescue could give them more sway over the investigation then is necessary, and give us more opportunity to be found out by the FBI. I need Ducky." He said, almost like he could read her thoughts. She wasn't going to relent though.

"Take Palmer." She replied, and Gibbs slammed his palms down on the desk angrily.

"Damn it, Jen! Emily could be hurt or worse! Ducky is the best to help her in this case because of the damage that has already been done to her! She was taken past her mother's corpse; just try and imagine what it would be like for a little girl to see her parents' dead body!" he shouted at her and Jenny's mind and body froze. She didn't have to imagine. She knew. She shivered slightly, feeling cold despite the comfortable temperature in the room. She knew what it was like to see that, she had been at the hospital when her mother had breathed her last, and she had found her father's body with his brains blown out. Those images she would carry with her for the rest of her life. She _knew_. He didn't.

She realised he had carried on talking and she tried to tune back in. "…CID people that located the guy think he could have a young boy in there with him too." she blanched, but managed to keep her face straight. She needed to catch her father's murderer, she needed Ducky, but Emily was the one that was suffering right now. Could she really condone catching La Grenouille when the price was the lives of possibly two children? She looked past Gibbs, towards the door of her office where Ducky was vacillating on whether he should enter and add his own opinion, but there was no need. It was written all over his face. He wanted to help the girl, but he didn't want to let Jenny down. She had to make this decision.

"Alright, take Ducky with you." she said, and Gibbs nodded, smiled and walked to the door. "Jethro." she called and he stopped and turned around. "I called in a favour for air transportation, you can use it. It might help you get there before he tries to bail." Gibbs nodded gratefully and walked out leaving Ducky with Jenny. Agent Taylor and his team entered, carrying Ares, and she waved them away. "The case is closed. Write it up. Leave Ares in evidence, I'll contact someone to take it away." The team looked at each other and then dispersed.

"There is no one else that could do this?" Ducky asked her quietly, and she shook her head.

"No one, but the children need you Ducky. I'd get going if I were you; you know how Jethro feels about dawdling, especially when you could be charging after him headlong into danger." She said, a small smile on her face. Ducky nodded and left, closing the door behind him. The moment it shut, her smile disappeared. It hurt her to fail, especially now when she was so close. She needed to find him; she needed to kill him, before it was too late.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: I wanted this one to be quite fast paced, I think it may be too fast paced but, oh well. I tried. Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, YourFavoriteLabPartnerEver, alix33, KSBP, black widow mistress, MissJayne, acting101 and HesMines for reviewing!

Gibbs led the way out of the NCIS building, his team, Hollis and Fornell all following, eager to get this case wrapped up, and in Fornell's case; to hold his little girl in his arms and know she was safe. They all piled into the Helicopter that Jenny had allowed them to use, Ducky bringing up the rear with a bag full of medical equipment. Gibbs took the bag from him and helped him up in to the helicopter, made sure everyone was secure and then told the pilot to take off. It was an hour's drive to the neighbourhood Emily may be being held in, but with a helicopter it should only take ten minutes, tops.

Tony, Ziva and McGee took the time to check over their weapons and information, so no mistakes could be made when they went in for the guy and Emily. This case had been such a stressful one that they really wanted to go home and sleep for a few days, but none of them were willing to actually do it, they couldn't even think about abandoning the search for the girl, but now with any luck, the case would be over. They could go out, get take away and lounge around at home, lazing to their hearts content until they were in work again.

That was the plan running through most of their minds anyway; Gibbs wanted to work on his boat, to take his mind off of the hollow look in Jenny's eyes when she had agreed to Ducky going with him instead of helping her. Or had that look appeared before the agreement? He had tried to take notice, but he had been intently trying to sway her resolve in his favour, he hadn't noticed when the fire had left her eyes and the vacant look had appeared, just that it was there. Why? What had he said that could affect her like that? She had looked almost like she was suffering from depression, which was very odd for Jen; she was usually so confident, energetic and content.

He sighed and looked over at Hollis, catching her eye. She gave him a tight, polite smile and then averted her eyes, almost like she was trying to ignore him. Gibbs raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, what had he done to her? He couldn't remember offending her while she had been at NCIS, had Jenny said something to her? He felt the stirrings of anger in his belly, how dare she interfere with his relationships like that? He pulled out his phone and… stopped. Jenny hadn't been alone with Hollis at all today, she couldn't have said something to her, unless women had a secret language to communicate, which he believed they did at times. Four wives and countless girlfriends and he still couldn't understand women.

The helicopter rose off of the ground and the noise from the blades overhead drowned out most of what everyone was saying, so when Hollis had to relay to team five that they were on their way, she had to shout down the phone and plug her ears to hear the replies. It also made thinking very difficult, so everyone just pictured what they needed to do once the ride was over and concentrated on it, waiting for the short ride to be over.

* * *

Cecelia and Jake watched the pervert's house; the lights were still on downstairs but all movement seemed to have stopped. Occasionally someone would walk past the window, the light casting a shadow onto the curtains, but the crowd had apparently dispersed, but no one had left. Cecelia was nervous about letting the suspects slip out the back, but she didn't want to split up with Jake. He took the decision out of her hands though.

"I'm going to check out the back door, there's too little going on. Something must be up." he whispered to her, pulling a torch out of his glove compartment and his gun from his belt.

"It's probably nothing, Jake." Cecelia said, trying to convince herself more than him. Jake shook his head and gestured to the house.

"That's as maybe, but I'd rather know that they aren't destroying a couple of kids in there while we try to catch a glimpse of them, you know?" he opened his car door and slipped out.

"Be careful." She whispered to him before he closed the door, and he smiled at her.

"Always." He said back, then carefully closed the door and slinked into the shadows. Cecelia watched him move around the back of the house, and then he disappeared from view. She had a very bad feeling about this, having Jake away from her made her feel very insecure and vulnerable. A knock on her window startled her from her reverie and she smiled.

"It's not locked, Jake." She said, looking over to the person opening the door. It wasn't Jake.

* * *

The helicopter landed in a field just a few streets away from the housing estate they wanted, but there was no point in getting a car or two, it would be faster to run around, and quieter too. Gibbs helped Ducky off of the helicopter and then they all moved as fast as they could towards the house.

"Team five aren't responding, Gibbs. Something must be wrong." Hollis said, putting her phone in her pocket after the fifth failed call to Cecelia. They were not supposed to be out of contact for any reason, but she wasn't answering. She didn't want to contemplate what that means.

"Maybe your team is lax." He said, turning a significant look in Fornell's direction. She took the hint and conceded.

"Maybe." They all ran towards the house, coming up on it from the back, just in case team five just didn't have a signal. They could cover both sides without compromising each other. Gibbs used his skills to sneak up the garden path, dodging every twig that the trees had dropped, almost like they were in league with the pervert and were trying to give him an early warning system. Something shiny caught his eye, and he dropped into a crouch, getting behind cover and staying absolutely still for a moment. When it didn't move, he moved closer and saw the lens of a flashlight. He bent down and reached out for it, but his hand froze when he noticed someone else was currently holding it. There was a young man laying face down in the grass, his throat had been cut, and his blood was staining the grass. There wasn't much point in looking for a pulse, but he did it anyway, and jumped when he found one. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out his phone, calling Hollis.

"Holl? Found one of your guys. His throat has been cut, but he has a pulse. I need help getting him out undetected."

"_Got it_." she hung up and he heard two of his team begin to advance on his position. He gently pressed on the young man's throat in an attempt to stem the bleeding without suffocating him, then he rolled him over. Tony and McGee appeared by his side and the two young Agents carried him away quickly. Tobias stepped up behind Gibbs, while Hollis went to look for Cecelia.

"We go in now. My daughter is in great danger. If they did this to him" he said pointing at the retreating figures of Tony, McGee and one of Hollis' team five "then who knows what he's done to Emily." Gibbs nodded. There was no reason to plod around waiting; they needed to get in now. Tobias' phone vibrated and he pulled it out, accepting the call impatiently. "Fornell."

"_I found Cecelia, she's been shot. She needs urgent medical attention_." Hollis said over the phone and Tobias grimaced. She obviously thought he was still waiting with Ducky.

"Ok, I'll send Ziva to you." he said and watched as Gibbs signalled to Ziva to find Hollis, and Fornell gratefully thanked him.

"Forget it, let's find your daughter." He whispered, and they both moved up to the back door. Breaking in was the easy part. The door opened after a few seconds of manipulation by Gibbs' lock picks and they crept into the house, guns drawn. The house was completely dark, the windows had been covered, just like in the last few houses, and Fornell suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Surely he couldn't be having a panic attack? Not now, he was so close! But what if he found Emily like he had found those little boys; naked, violated and dead, their glassy eyes staring at the door, burning the image in to the memories of everyone who would see it.

"Gibbs… I-" he said, his gun arm was shaking and he was now worried about firing prematurely. He was a risk. The realisation that his Agency had been right to suspend him hit him like a ton of bricks. He was a hazard to anyone who made any sudden moves, since in this state he would more than likely shoot first and think later. Gibbs put a hand on Tobias' shoulder, and leaned in to whisper I his ear.

"Your little girl is here somewhere. Do you want to be the first good thing she sees, or would you rather sit outside?" he asked, somewhat nastily, but the words did the job they were intended to do. He was not going to sit outside when his little girl needed him. Tobias moved along the corridor and walked to where he knew the man would be keeping his daughter, and any other children he had here. He flung the door open and then froze.

"Agent Fornell, glad you could join us, even if you aren't on my investigation anymore." The pervert said. He had Emily and a young boy in front of him, using them as shields so he couldn't shoot them. A camera lay discarded on a mattress behind him and Tobias' stomach dropped. He had been preparing to leave. If they had been any later they would have been too late. He looked at his daughter, her cheeks were tear stained, her eyes red and raw, and her lip was bleeding and swollen, but it was the look in her eyes that scared him. She looked vacant, empty, like she wasn't really there. The bastard had hurt her, but she had gotten off lightly compared to the boy who was on the bed.

His eyes rolled in his head and the atrocities he had suffered were causing him serious pain, but he was alive. He was naked except for the sheet that covered him and his skin sported many bruises and abrasions, but not half as many as the other boys had had. He must have only just started.

"Let the children go." He said, training his gun on the smug pervert, hoping for a clear shot, but not being able to shoot towards his little girl. Where the hell was Gibbs? He dared not turn and look for him because that would tip the perv off that he was surrounded, and he wanted him to think he was alone. The perv reached down and pulled a knife out of the covers of the bed, holding it to Emily's throat. The cold metal nicked her skin and she whimpered as a trickle of blood made its way down her neck. The perv moved the knife towards the neck line of her night gown and began to slash it open, his head moving further around from behind her to watch its progress. He pulled a gun out and trained it on Fornell, effectively stopping any movement from the agonised father.

"You know, I've been wanting to try out your daughter fo-" his words cut off abruptly as Gibbs took the shot that had presented itself and his bullet tore through the perv's eye. The back of his head seemed to explode out wards, a spray of blood coated the wall and his fingers convulsed, pulling the trigger and squeezing the knife, until they both dropped from his hands, and his body fell back wards on the bed. Emily fell to her knees and hugged herself, covering herself where he had cut her nightgown and crying. Tobias rushed forwards as quickly as he could and enveloped her in a bear hug, kissing her forehead and stroking her back, muttering soothing words. He picked her up and carried her out of the house, leaving Gibbs to help the young boy and secure the dead man.

Gibbs called in Ducky and together they managed to wrap the boy up in a blanket and they carried him outside to wait for the ambulances that Hollis had called for. Fornell was protesting about something and Gibbs looked at Ducky in askance.

"He was shot in the leg Jethro, but he is full of adrenalin so he thinks he doesn't need medical attention." Ducky said, smiling at the behaviour that was so reminiscent of Gibbs himself. Gibbs shook his head and walked over to Fornell, watching as he hugged his daughter like she was about to disappear any second. He could understand that feeling. They had rescued Emily, but now they had to get Fornell to the hospital and that left Emily with nowhere to live. Who would take her in? He would, but he doubted social services would like that, and Emily herself might be scared to be around men for a while. He pondered the question all night, as the paramedics took everyone to the hospital.

By morning, he had an answer, an obvious one, but a risky one. Jen had been drinking lately, she had never been a mother and her job was very demanding, would she be ok with a kid in her house?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Huddly who told me Ducky should tell Gibbs off, so that bit is for you :) Thanks also to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Huddly (again :p), black widow mistress, KSBP, MissJayne, HesMines, alix33 and babyred1995 for reviewing!

Gibbs paced in the hospital waiting room, annoyed that it was taking so long to hear any news on the people he had brought in, but his consolation was he wasn't the only one waiting. Hollis had stayed, guilt over team five's attack keeping her from going home or sleeping. Team Gibbs had stayed for a while, but then they had gone back to the house, processed the scene and taken the evidence back to NCIS with them.

They had found a rather large pile of beer bottles, all open and unwashed, so they had bagged each individual bottle and they were taking them to Abby in the hopes she could match the DNA to the men that had been at the house, so they could arrest them. These particular perv's had been very cautious, going so far as to not touch their victims directly in some cases, but now they might have caught them out.

Ziva had gone with Tony and McGee with explicit instructions to come back, so Emily could travel with women on the way back to NCIS, where he would ask Jenny if she was willing to take Emily in. He would have asked Ziva, if she had ever displayed any maternal instinct, but she hadn't and her self-confessed irritation with people who cried around her decided the vote against her. Emily was bound to cry; a lot.

Hollis could have taken her, except she isn't part of NCIS and Tobias doesn't know or like her, though that might change when he isn't so stressed and cranky, she hadn't exactly done anything to warrant his dislike except try to get more control of the investigation that had involved more of her people than anyone else's combined. She hadn't really spoken to Jethro yet in the entire time they had been at the hospital and he wasn't yet willing to make the first move, even though he knew he probably should.

He was, after all, the one who had snuck out of her house after sleeping with her and only called her because he needed help on a case. He hadn't said anything about striking up a relationship with her, but then he hadn't said anything about not. She looked up at him, catching him watching her and she sighed. She may as well clear the air between them, she had been acting a little cold to him, but then his actions towards her didn't exactly endear him to her. She took a deep breath and decided to strike while the iron was hot, or at least while they were alone.

"Well, looks like we got to Emily in time." She said, trying to strike up a conversation with him.

"Yeah." He said, not adding anything more.

"My involvement in this case has come to an end." She said, trying again to get him talking.

"Yeah." He replied once more, not making any attempt to keep the conversation going. Hollis rolled her eyes and sighed. He turned towards the door when someone walked past, but they didn't come in, so he turned back to her. She stood up and walked towards him a little, hoping to clear the air with him.

"Look… I know I have been a little frosty to you, but you haven't even asked me what's wrong. That tells me more than you probably know." she said, gently at first, but her voice got stronger towards the end and she had to concentrate to keep the accusation out of her tone.

"I didn't know you needed me to ask." He replied simply and she shook her head at him.

"That's the problem; you _should_ know. This thing between us isn't going to go any further than it already has; I know that, you know that." She said quietly, watching his gaze harden a little in preparation for what he obviously knew was coming.

"Only if you don't want it to, Hol." He replied, a smirk on his face and she could almost fool herself into thinking he believed it, but she wasn't that gullible.

"When I first met you, I would have bet that you've heard many different excuses as to why a woman wants to break up with you, but now I know you a little better and I'm betting every reason was the same." She whispered to him, but the room was so quiet he could hear her very clearly. "You're hung up on someone else." The moment the words left her he stiffened and then relaxed, slumping down on a seat behind him.

"Yeah, it usually is." He said, thinking of his first wife and daughter, and how every wife or girlfriend always felt their relationship was some sort of triangle, with an invisible woman taking all of the love and affection that was meant for them. His only confusion lay in how Hollis had found out about them; surely no one at NCIS had betrayed him like that?

"The sad thing is the only person you have to blame is yourself." She said and he looked up sharply, a sudden anger filling him. If she knew they had died then she knew how, how could she blame him for that? "I can see the way you look at each other, the way you both seem to come alive when you're in the same room, hell even blind Bats living in caves in Romania can see the energy between you two!" she exclaimed and Gibbs found he had no idea what she was talking about. Shannon was dead, how could he look at her?

"Hollis, I have no idea who you're talking about." he said, his confusion showing in his tone, but Hollis didn't believe him.

"Don't Gibbs. Lie to me but don't lie to yourself. It was obvious from the moment I stepped into her office with you that there was history between you two, and every moment since then has proved that it's unresolved." She said quietly, and Gibbs sighed, the woman she was talking about suddenly obvious: Jenny. He probably should have known who she was talking about right away, but talking about his other relationships had confused him. They had left because of Shannon's ghost, but after Jenny his love life had slowed down.

Stephanie had been his only real relationship since Paris and she had left because of Jenny. Calling out for her once had been forgiven, calling out for her twenty six times couldn't be. His guilt at how he had treated Stephanie was strong, she had been such an innocent, loving woman who just wanted to settle down with a man who loved her, and he had taken advantage of her willingness to overlook small problems in the hopes the bigger picture would be worth it, and that had made trusting men again hard for her. She had wanted a child, but he could never even think of having another after Kelly.

"What do you want me to say?" he whispered, his irritation giving way to a bone deep weariness that just thinking of his convoluted relationships, if you could call them that, instilled in him.

"Nothing. I want you to _do_ something, even if it's only to stop you from leading on some poor woman in the future, making them believe they can make a life with you, when you just want a warm body for nocturnal exercise while you pine away for the woman you really want." She hissed at him, annoyed that he was being so obtuse when she was trying to help him. She didn't need to, but the thought of how he had used her made her want to spare any other woman who might not be as strong or independent as her. She had made up her mind; she was leaving and she wasn't looking back, she wasn't some lovesick teenager who believed the world would end if she didn't try harder to make it work. Gibbs winced, he did deserve that being thrown in his face, it was how he had treated her that night.

"It's not as simple as that, Hol." He whispered, scrubbing a hand over his face tiredly.

"Nothing worth doing ever is. What are you afraid of?" she asked him gently, sitting down next to him.

"She's changed; she's not the woman I used to know. She's colder, harder somehow."

"People change Gibbs, they adapt to new roles and new situations, but they are still essentially the same person. No one can change their nature. She is the same woman you knew; she's just added a few extra layers for protection." She told him, hoping he would listen and realise the truth of her words.

"I'm sorry Hollis, for-" he gestured between him and her, and she cut him off.

"I thought you had a rule against apologies." She said, letting him off the hook. He smiled a little.

"I do, but it's warranted and an apology between… friends… isn't weak." He said, carefully emphasising the word 'friends' while watching her carefully for a reaction. She simply smiled back to him.

"You know its strange Gibbs, but I always thought it took strength to apologise." She replied, letting the friends comment stay undisputed. She might not want him anymore, but she didn't want to walk away from him while he was thinking badly of her. Parting ways as friends would make everything easier and less stressful.

"I guess that's another way of looking at it." he said and she shook her head, smiling at him.

"Well apology accepted." She whispered to him conspiratorially and they sat smiling, a good feeling making the silence comfortable. Finally after a few more minutes, the door opened and Ducky walked in. He had been waiting outside to waylay the doctors and get news before they could talk to Gibbs. It was so much easier for him to explain the medical stuff to Jethro than it was to allow the doctors to prattle on about treatments without telling him what he wanted to know, thus getting him angry and making him demand to see the patient for himself.

"Duck? What's going on?" Gibbs asked, standing up to greet the old M.E.

"The children are fine; Emily was in shock from witnessing the things that man had done to the young boy, who she told us is called Neil." He put a hand up to forestall Gibbs' questions. "The boy's family has already been notified of his condition and they are on their way in. Thankfully he wasn't sexually assaulted, just beaten, suffering from strangulation and starved, like Emily. They ran a rape kit on her too, it was negative." Those words seemed to dispel the strain that was keeping him on tenterhooks and he slumped back in relief.

"Does Tobias know?" Gibbs asked warily, knowing if he found out before the girl's father, Fornell would have his head on a platter.

"Yes, I told him before I came to tell you. He was a little groggy from the pain medication but he took it all in." then Ducky turned to Hollis and his expression softened, showing he was the bearer of bad news. "I'm afraid neither of your team is awake. The male-" she cut him off.

"Jake, Jake Travis." Hollis supplied for him, and he nodded.

"Yes, he is in a deep coma. He isn't expected to wake up. The blood loss may have affected his brain; they have no way of knowing. They will want to speak with you about contacting his family. The young lady Cecelia isn't expected to survive. The bullet nicked an artery, which they had a lot of trouble closing up. She also suffered massive blood loss which may have affected her brain. They are both on life support. I'm sorry my dear." He said gently and she sighed heavily.

"Thank you Dr. Mallard, I need… I need to make a few calls. Excuse me." She walked out, looking for the exit so she could call her base and send the right information to the right people. She would call the families herself though; they deserved to hear straight from her why their loved ones may not survive. Ducky watched her go and then turned back to Jethro, a suddenly serious look on his face.

"Our Anthony asked me to tell you they were currently looking through the pictures they found on the camera and in the house. There are more boys than Agent Fornell knows about." he said significantly. They would need to let Fornell take the results of the case back to the FBI now so they could wrap up the investigation. They would more than likely be ordered to hand over all of the evidence they were currently collecting too, now that Emily had been rescued, but that wouldn't be a bad thing. Army CID now had more right to continue the investigation since they were about to lose two of their people. Maybe Hollis would keep him informed.

"Yeah. At least Emily is ok now though." Gibbs said, sighing and leaning his head back against the wall.

"Yes." Ducky agreed, but then he sighed himself, wondering how to broach what was bothering him. In the end he just decided the straight forward approach would be best. "Jethro, this is probably a bad time to say this, but what you did was wrong."

"I've already apologised to Hollis for stringing her along, Duck, what more do you want?" Gibbs asked, annoyed that Ducky was passing judgement on him. Ducky raised an eyebrow in surprise, but then waved his words away.

"I'm not talking about that Jethro; I'm referring to what you did to Jennifer." He said. Gibbs looked up at him in confusion and not a little anger. What he did to her? What about what she did to him? Like when she had ripped his heart out and stamped on it.

"What?" he asked, the edge in his voice evident, but Ducky wasn't worried. He took a step forward and clarified what he was talking about.

"Blackmail, Jethro, is wrong no matter how desperate you are to get your own way." He replied, an edge in his own voice.

"Blackmail?"

"Yes. I _volunteered_ to help her Jethro, in a mission she has been working on for _days_, trying to catch a man she has been chasing for the better part of ten _years_." He emphasised, trying to get through to him just what he had messed up. He wasn't angry to have helped Jethro; he was just annoyed at how he had gone about getting his help.

"Why did she need you?" Jethro asked, curious as to how Ducky was involved in Jenny's investigation.

"Agent Taylor's team accidentally chased the man trying to sell Ares into a coronary, thus the mission came to a standstill. I offered to take his place."

"Why?"

"He was an Englishman, about my age. I was the _only_ person who could do it." Ducky replied sadly, remembering the defeated look in Jennifer's eyes when she had told Agent Taylor's team the mission was over. He had been her one hope, and he had let her down. He should have thrown in his own opinion rather than letting Jethro blackmail her into agreeing, by telling her Emily would die if she _didn't_ agree with him.

"You're Scottish." Gibbs said simply, and Ducky chuckled a little.

"Yes, but my accent isn't." he replied, just as simply.

"I needed you Duck, you were invaluable today. Whatever she was doing wasn't as important as this." Jethro said, trying to justify himself, and it was a good reason to be happy he had come along, but really, anyone else could have done the same job he had done. Jenny hadn't had anyone else.

"She is after an arms dealer, Jethro. His weapons kill more people a day than NCIS as a whole has lost in the last eight years. Just because you don't know them doesn't mean they don't deserve to be saved." He said as gently as he could, but Gibbs' eyes flashed.

"I can't save _everyone_ Duck." He whispered angrily, making Ducky shake his head in annoyance.

"I'm not asking you to; I'm just asking that you stop pretending your missions are the only ones that matter."

Gibbs looked away from him. He didn't pretend his missions were the only ones that mattered, he knew that every life was worth fighting for, but he had fought harder than Jenny had for Ducky, and he had thought that that had shown he needed him more, and that she knew it. She had after all, agreed after only a short argument whereas she would normally have fought tooth and nail to prove she was right. That wasn't his fault, was it? What had he said to make her give up?

"I think the two of you need to have a long talk about this and that perhaps, apologies need to be exchanged." Ducky said softly, giving him a nudge in the right direction. Gibbs merely grunted, and even though it wasn't a specific grunt, Ducky decided it meant he would try. "Alright, well Emily is ready to go now."

"I'm waiting on Ziva, was planning on letting her ride back to NCIS with Ziva and Hollis, then I'll ask Jenny to take Emily home." He said, wondering where Ziva was.

"Ziva is with Emily, she escorted her to her father's room just moments before I came to tell you the news…" Ducky said, trailing off at Jethro's words. "Do you think its wise leaving her with Jennifer?" he asked hesitantly.

"You don't think she could handle a child?" Gibbs asked seriously and Ducky realised he meant psychologically.

"On the contrary, I think she would have made a wonderful mother, I'm more concerned with the effect it could have on her emotionally. She has no children of her own; this could hurt when they are finally separated." He said cautiously, but Gibbs just shrugged.

"Jenny will be fine; children aren't part of her five point plan." Jethro said a little bitterly making Ducky file away their conversation for later consideration. _Plan? Hmmm…_

"Very well." Ducky he conceded and then walked to the door. "I suppose you and I will be in the front of the car, so Ziva and Hollis can sandwich her between them?"

"That was the plan." Gibbs confirmed, nodding and then standing to follow Ducky out. He needed to find Hollis so they could set off.

"Then we may as well start the journey now, I have already requested Agent Fornell's transfer to Bethesda, he will be loaded into an ambulance soon." Ducky said, looking at the clock on the wall. It was early in the morning, so early it was still dark outside, but he doubted Emily would sleep until the car started moving. They really needed to get her to a NCIS and sort out her arrangements soon, or the shock would wear off and she would refuse to leave her father's side. That would make settling her in with Jennifer difficult, and the last thing they needed was a screaming and crying child in the squad room.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, alix33, Huddly, black widow mistress, MissJayne and HesMines for reviewing!

Gibbs followed Ducky in to Tobias' room, leaving Hollis out in the corridor, looking vacantly at the room across the hall, the room her two people were losing the struggle for life in. The families had been anything but understanding, how could they? They were about to lose their loved one for the life of a child they didn't know or care about. They said two lives for one wasn't fair trade, but they didn't know about the full extent of the case, about just how many children had been taken from their families and how many more would have been if they hadn't killed the perv, whose name was still pending. The FBI had refused to give him one because all of the names they had found for him had been aliases, but Gibbs was confident Abby would find the man's real name.

Ziva looked around as they entered, the fixed smile on her face dropping a little into a relieved look. She had been trying her best to cater to Emily's needs, but it was quite taxing to smile all of the time when she didn't feel all that happy. She was relieved it was over, but letting the FBI take the case back felt like giving up, and she didn't like to leave a case unfinished. Besides, what would happen once they told the FBI they had solved their case, the case they had pretended to know nothing about? She shook herself from her thoughts and stood to one side so Gibbs and Ducky could see past her to Emily.

Emily Fornell was curled up with her father on the hospital bed, silent tears rolling down her cheeks, her eyes unfocussed. She was still in shock, but Tobias' presence was calming her. Tobias himself was staring contentedly at his daughter, his arms holding her to him tightly, giving away his every intention to never let her out of his sight again. He was fighting sleep to make sure she was still with him, and when he lifted his eyes to Gibbs, his arms tightened reflexively. He knew Gibbs was here to take her away from him, he knew he would take care of her, but a voice in his head told him Emily had been safe with Diane, and now she was dead. What was to stop Emily being taken from Gibbs or whoever he leaves her with?

The nurses in the room nodded to Ducky and Gibbs politely and then began to unhook Fornell from the wires around him. He would be taken to the ambulance now and they would take him to Bethesda. Gibbs walked over to Fornell and put a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"It's time." He said simply, and Tobias nodded. He shuffled around and then spoke softly to Emily.

"Hey Em, I need you to go with Agent Gibbs for a while. He'll look after you until you can visit me next." Tobias stared hard at Gibbs, letting him know he would definitely expect to see Emily regularly while he was at Bethesda, regardless of where she was supposed to be. Emily stared at her father and then nodded slowly, making a slightly pained look cross Tobias' face. He steeled himself and then gave her a gentle nudge towards the edge of the bed. "That's a good girl, Angel. Go on." She moved a little further to the edge and then Ziva approached her, lifting her off the bed and setting her on the floor. She didn't fuss or react to being touched, which both relieved and worried the adults around her.

"I will take her to the car." Ziva said, holding on to Emily's hand and walking her out into the hall, where Hollis took the other hand and the two women took her outside. Gibbs and Ducky moved out of the way, allowing the nurses to wheel Tobias out of the room and in to the hall, then they followed him all the way to the ambulance.

"I want to see her, Jethro, and I want to know how she is coping. I want to know everything. I'll discharge myself as soon as I can and take her home if it gets too bad." He enthused, not about to lay around in hospital when his daughter needed him.

"I'm asking Jenny to take her in. Living with a woman may be the best thing for her." Gibbs said, in an attempt to put him a little more at ease, by knowing she would be with a trustworthy person. Tobias frowned for a moment, but then he recalled Jenny had allowed him to work the case, she had allowed him to have any team he wanted to find Emily, rather than turning him away, which would have been the best thing for NCIS. She had put his daughter before the welfare of her Agency and the good(ish) relationship with the bureau.

She would be a good choice for Emily to be left with, even though Diane had hated her. Even that serpent tongued woman wouldn't begrudge Emily the care and attention of someone who had risked so much to help him. Well she probably could, but he couldn't. He nodded his agreement to Gibbs and then the ambulance crew closed the doors, the ambulance driving away. Gibbs and Ducky looked at one another and made their way to their car, hoping the trip to NCIS would be quick.

* * *

The hour long journey back to NCIS had been rather uneventful. Emily had begun to get more aware of her surroundings when they had entered the navy yard, but the presence of the two women around her had kept her from playing up or becoming scared. Ziva and Hollis stayed on either side of her, moving her to the back of the lift when they entered it so she was as far away from the men as possible. It worked, and they could only hope their good luck would last until Jenny got her home.

Gibbs and Ducky stepped off the lift and then made their way up the stairs past the bullpen. Jenny wouldn't leave until they came to tell her how the mission had gone, and hopefully convincing her to take Emily home would be an easy task. Gibbs waited for Ducky at the top of the stairs, earning him a surprised glance from the elderly ME. He didn't usually wait for anyone; in fact the only person he waited for on the stairs was Jenny, though that was usually because he was trying to win a disagreement. Ducky's confusion increased when Gibbs not only held the door to Cynthia's office open for him, but also smiled at the harassed looking assistant and waited for her to tell him to go in. Cynthia was so surprised she stared at him open mouthed for a few seconds before realising she had a chance to call ahead for once. She pounced on the intercom, casting a wary eye at Gibbs' strange behaviour.

"Do you feel the need for moral support, Jethro?" Ducky enquired, raising a sly eyebrow at his unexpected gallantry.

"No, just giving her no reason to turn me down." He glanced quickly at the barely suppressed smile on the ME's face and corrected himself. "To turn _Emily_ down."

"Of course Jethro."

"You can go in now Agent Gibbs." Cynthia said to him, giving him a rare smile. He returned the gesture and opened the door, closing it after Ducky and then coming to stand in front of Jenny's desk. Jenny watched him warily, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Gibbs was only nice when it suited him, or when he had done something wrong. Cynthia's surprised voice had tipped her off to his uncommonly civil attitude, and after witnessing his behaviour towards her door, she was now very worried.

"Alright. What have you done and how much is it going to cost the Agency?" she asked, watching his face carefully. Gibbs smirked and then put an expression of mock hurt on his face.

"You're very suspicious Jen." he retorted.

"You're being _nice_, Jethro." she replied, and his expression changed slightly. He thought back to the other times he had been nice to her. He had brought dinner to her office at least twice, he let her steal his coffee without complaining and had brought her one after her kidnapping, he had complimented her on his return from his temporary retirement and… and… hmm. Was it bad that he could count those times on one hand, when she had been a part of his life again for two years? He looked over at her and resolved to try to change that, though she could put a little effort in, too.

"We came to give you a report on the mission." He said, keeping his tone light and putting on a genuine smile. Jenny's heart fluttered in response and she could feel an indulgent smile fighting to manifest itself. She squashed the impulse, blaming the Bourbon she had been drinking last night for her flirtatious behaviour. She cleared her throat and gestured for him to speak.

"Please, go on." She replied, leaning back to listen to the story.

"The mission was a tentative success." Ducky began and Jenny's eyebrows drew together. Tentative? Gibbs took over, explaining in detail what had happened, and then Ducky filled her in on the medical conditions of all involved. "Emily is in the squad room with Ziva and Colonel Mann."

"Why?" Jenny asked, a little confused as to why Gibbs hadn't taken the girl home already. He was, after all, Tobias' best friend. She had expected to hear that he had demanded that Jethro take her home. Ducky stayed quiet and looked at Jethro, making Jenny turn her curious gaze to him too.

"She has been traumatised by her captor, her _male_ captor. I thought it would be better for her if she stayed with a female until she was better. Right Duck?" he said, hoping Ducky would back him up.

"That would be best, Jethro." Ducky agreed, watching Jenny carefully for any signs of refusal.

"Ziva can't do it, and Hollis will be continuing the investigation, so she wouldn't be at home, so…" Jethro trailed off and looked at her meaningfully. Jenny just looked back and waited for him to continue.

"So?" she prompted. Gibbs blinked, amazed that she hadn't figured it out already.

"I think it would be best, and Tobias agrees with me, if Emily stayed with someone who is constantly in a safe environment so she never feels threatened." Jenny still didn't seem to click so he clarified. "You."

Jenny looked away for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She wasn't surprised Jethro was trying to get her to look after the child; she had just hoped she had mistaken his intent. Of course she hadn't and that didn't sit well with her. She had stayed in her office since they had left last night, and spent quite some time finishing up her paper work and drinking. She wasn't proud of it, but she just needed to not feel for a while. The Bourbon had helped her to deal with losing la Grenouille, and it had put her thoughts and hurt feelings in a fluffy haze. It had worked its way through her system now so she had more clarity than she'd had just an hour ago, but she knew she was fresh. It really wasn't the best idea for her to try and look after a traumatised young girl when she couldn't really look after herself.

But not looking after her would tip them off that she had a problem, and she didn't, not really. It was just a coping mechanism; she only drank when she was depressed. _Which is most of the time; after all, what good are you doing for your father's memory when you can't even catch his killer?_ She thought angrily. _You've been trying for ten years and you're not getting any closer to him, just_ c_loser to failure_. She shook her head, trying to chase away her negative thoughts. If Emily needed to stay with her for her safety then she could, just as long as she left again as soon as possible.

"Alright, I'll be going home now. Bring her down to the town car when Melvin brings it around." She said and then stood, collecting her already packed things and walking them to the door. Gibbs nodded and walked right out, leaving her to speak with Ducky. The older man watched her carefully, not speaking until she turned her slightly annoyed gaze to him.

"You've been drinking." He said simply. Jenny rolled her eyes irritably. Why did he care?

"Yes, a few hours ago." She replied somewhat testily. Ducky stopped her from leaving and pushed the door closed.

"You are still drunk Jennifer." He stated, looking at her seriously. She shook her head.

"No I'm fresh, it's working through me. She'll be fine with me Ducky; she doesn't even have to see me. Noemi will look after her if I can't." she told him as gently as she could. His eyes hardened and then turned sly.

"Why couldn't you Jennifer? You know now that you are taking her home. You also know that it would be silly to begin drinking again when you get home. You should just put her and then yourself to bed." He spoke softly, his voice reasonable and she found herself nodding, then she narrowed her eyes at his words.

"Is it a crime to enjoy a drink now and again?" she asked angrily. How dare he try to tell her what to do?

"No, but it is a crime to neglect a child." He replied frostily. He could see her struggling with the influence of the alcohol, but her mood was too black to put up much of a fight and that worried him. How long had this behaviour gone unnoticed? He had certainly never seen her drinking like this before, he would have said or done something if he had. This called for drastic measures.

"I'm not going to neglect her, Ducky; I could have been a good mother." She said to him, a wounded tone giving him pause when he was about to talk back to her. That sounded almost like defeat. Was there a reason she'd never had children? He thought back to what Jethro had said about children not being part of her 'five point plan'. What plan? Was this behaviour linked to it? Sometimes he wished knowing psychology made him a telepath, things would be so much simpler that way.

"Yes, you could have. Didn't you want them?" he said, the curiosity loud and clear in his voice.

"I didn't have the time." She replied, looking past him over at the wall mounted TV. It was off now, but she could still see his face. Her job wasn't finished yet, she would get him, and next time she wasn't backing down. Ducky followed her gaze, unaware of why she was staring at a blank screen, but unwilling to let his chance slip past him. She was forthcoming at the moment, perhaps she would give him the answers he wanted.

"Because of your five point plan?" he prompted and Jenny sucked in a breath almost like she had been punched and shook her head at him. This conversation was hitting too close to home for her liking. She couldn't hate herself any more for her past mistakes, leaving Jethro being one of the largest, most painful ones, but she couldn't talk about it yet, not until she had completed her goal. Having a friend tell her about what she could have had was too much for her.

"Ducky, don't." she whispered to him, her pained eyes pleading for him to drop the subject. He sighed and nodded.

"Very well, Emily is waiting for you." He let her leave and then followed her out, opting to take the stairs when she went to the elevator. She was obviously unsure of her footing and didn't want to fall on the stairs. Well at least she wasn't self destructive. Ducky caught Gibbs' eye and approached him.

"What kept you Duck?" Jethro asked, curious about the worried look on his face.

"Jethro, have you noticed anything off about Jennifer's drinking habits?" Ducky enquired, his apprehensive expression making Jethro search his memory for anything 'off'. He couldn't think of anything though.

"No, why?" he asked, lowering his voice slightly. Not that it was necessary since no one was in the squad room at the moment. Tony and McGee were down in Abby's lab trying to help her get through her work load and Ziva had taken Hollis and Emily down to the garage to wait for Jenny and her town car.

"I think she has a problem Jethro, and it worries me. I'm even thinking about going home with her; she wouldn't dare to throw me out, though it would make it easier for her to ignore Emily." Ducky replied just as quietly. He was very worried and at this moment he wasn't sure who he was more worried about; Jennifer or Emily. Gibbs shook his head, Ducky was too soft hearted to force Jenny to look after Emily by ignoring the child, but he wasn't.

"Tell you what Duck, I'll go over and check on her and Emily later today, how about that?" Gibbs said, compromising with his old friend and not realising he had played right into Ducky's hands. Ducky smiled gratefully, attempting to keep the smug grin from taking over his face. It was Jethro's fault Jennifer drank Bourbon and, if what his psychology training was informing him was correct; she drank it to feel connected to him. It was time he reaped what he had sown.

"I think that would be a very good idea, Jethro."

* * *

Jenny walked up to her town car and slid in the back, nodding to Melvin and waiting patiently for Ziva and Colonel Mann to bring Emily down so she could go home. She was tired, she had been up for a long time; the remnants of the alcohol making her even sleepier. All she wanted to do right now was slip into bed and sleep until tomorrow. She jolted when the car door opened and she realised she had nearly dropped to sleep.

She shuffled over and smiled at Ziva, who smiled back and then lifted Emily into the car. Jenny reached around her and buckled her in, and then remembered to buckle herself in. The bourbon influence was almost gone and she hadn't made a fool of herself in front of anyone. She looked back at Ziva, who was staring at her calculatingly. Great, another person to see her fresh today. Ziva didn't say anything; she just smiled encouragingly at her.

"I will come and see you later, Emily." She said to the staring girl and then she looked up at Jenny. "I will enquire with Agent Fornell about Emily's clothes and belongings." Jenny closed her eyes, nodded and then bit her lip. She hadn't thought of that, she hadn't even thought about what Emily would wear to bed. She would need to give her a pair of her old pyjamas, just for tonight. When Ziva brought the girl's things over she would be able to wear what she wanted. Ziva closed the car door and Melvin started the car, taking them out of the navy yard and towards home.

Jenny watched Emily throughout the short car ride, the girl stared at nothing in particular and sometimes a tear would escape from her eye, but other than that she did nothing. Jenny reached over to her and drew her into a one arm embrace. At first Emily stayed still and straight, but then she sagged into Jenny's warmth and buried her face in her chest. That was the first movement she had made that seemed like she'd made a conscious decision to do it. Jenny held her close for the entire ride home and when the car stopped, she unbuckled their belts and gathered Emily into her arms. The little girl clung to her, burying her face in her neck and not even looking around when Jenny stepped out of the car and carried her into her house.

"Well Emily, here we are. This is my home; I'm Jenny by the way." Jenny spoke softly to Emily in the hopes she would respond, or at least remember what she was being told. "You're safe here. I'm the Director of NCIS so I have my own security team too." she said, hoping that if she knew there was a team of security she would feel safer. Emily made no noise, nor did she lift her head from Jenny's neck. Jenny sighed quietly, wondering what she should do with her now. "What do you want to do now, Emily? Have a shower? A bath? Some supper? Go to bed?" she enquired, but Emily still didn't say.

Well it was relatively safe to assume she may need the toilet, so Jenny carried her upstairs, her arms beginning to ache. Emily was about eight years old, so she wasn't exactly heavy but she wasn't a small child either. Jenny pushed open the bathroom door and set Emily on her feet. Crouching down in front of her, Jenny attempted to catch her eye.

"Emily? Do you need the toilet, honey?" Emily did nothing at first but then slowly nodded her head. Jenny smiled and squeezed her hands encouragingly. "Alright, I'll leave you to it. I'll be just outside the door, ok?" Emily nodded again and Jenny turned around and closed the door behind her. She was responding to her and that was good. She stayed outside until the toilet flushed and then she knocked on the door. No sound came from within so Jenny gave it a few more seconds before opening the door and poking her head in. Emily was sat on the bath rug rubbing her dry hands on a towel, staring at the glossy white wall tiles.

"Emily?" Jenny said softly, but the girl didn't turn. It seemed her responses had come to an end. Jenny reached down to her and lifted her in her arms. Once she did that, Emily threw her arms around her and buried her face once again in her neck. The young girl's strange behaviour was really beginning to worry her, and Jenny decided that as soon as she put Emily to bed she would call Ducky.

"Do you want a shower or a bath, honey?" Jenny asked her gently. Emily clearly hadn't been washed since she had been taken from her home, but Jenny was wary of bathing her. Who knew how the girl would react to being unclothed by a stranger and really, she didn't seem capable of doing it by herself. Should she give it a go anyway? "Emily? I'm going to run you a bath alright?" she placed Emily back on the floor and then turned on the bath taps. She put the plug in and picked up a bottle of bubble bath. She showed the bottle to Emily.

"Would you like to have bubbles in your water?" Emily nodded once, and then continued to stare at nothing. Jenny resisted the urge to sigh, it wasn't Emily's fault, she was just traumatised. Jenny poured a generous amount in the water and mixed it in, watching the bubbles spring into existence. She wanted Emily to feel as comfortable as possible, and having lots of bubbles to hide in might do it. The bath filled slowly, and neither of them moved until it was full. Jenny turned the taps off and then turned Emily to look at her.

"Ok Emily I want you to listen carefully to me. I have filled the bath for you, do you want me to stay with you while you bathe or go?" Emily said nothing, but she did meet her eyes. "You went to the toilet by yourself; do you wish to bathe by yourself?" Emily nodded and then shook her head, a few tears springing into her eyes. Jenny hugged her and decided what she would do. She pulled back and then lifted Emily's chin so she could look right in her eye.

"How about this, I'll wait outside while you get undressed and into the water, and then if you feel you need me, you can call me in. Is that alright?" she asked her, and Emily nodded. Jenny smiled and then stood. "I'll get you something to wear for bed. Call me if you need me." She turned and left, closing the door behind her. This was a little harder than she had thought it was going to be. Moving quickly to her drawers, Jenny withdrew a pair of pyjamas with bottoms that had a string pull and stood outside the bathroom door. it was a full fifteen minutes until Emily called for her. Jenny opened the door and placed the pyjamas on the floor, then moved to the tub. Emily was dry from the shoulders up, which told Jenny she had probably just sat in the water staring into space the entire time. She knelt by the tub.

"Emily, would you like me to wash your hair?" She nodded and Jenny smiled, picked up a cup and some shampoo and began to pour water on her hair to wet it, then squeezed the shampoo onto her head. Emily didn't move while Jenny washed her hair, nor did she move when she rinsed out the suds. Jenny decided it would be safer to just get Emily to bed, so she pulled the plug out and held up a towel, closing her eyes so Emily didn't feel self-conscious. She opened them again when she felt the towel get tugged from her hands and then she began to vigorously dry the little girl, and then dressed her in the pyjamas. She then lifted Emily back into her arms, feeling her bury her face once more in her neck, and carried her into her guest bedroom.

During the short trip she felt Emily's small fingers threading into her short red hair, and her heart skipped a beat. Her red hair, the same colour as the girl's mothers. She sighed softly and gave Emily a squeeze. Her mother wasn't here, but she was. She placed Emily on the bed and then pulled up the covers. Emily grabbed her hand and refused to let go of her, so Jenny sat on the edge of the bed and watched her fall asleep.

Emily looked so peaceful while she slept, and Jenny felt her heart melting. She would have been a great mother; she could have had a few children by now if she hadn't left Jethro in Paris. If only she… but it didn't matter now. She had made her choice and he would never forgive her, and definitely never take her back. She had made her bed, now she had to lie in it, no matter how lonely it was. She brushed Emily's hair back from her face and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Her little girl would have looked similar to Emily; she knew it in her heart. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe… Jenny closed her eyes, thinking of her own daughter and joined Emily in slumber.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thanks to alix33, telainoflorien, black widow mistress, Mrs. Ellizabeth Gibbs, KSBP, HesMines, Twilight Trekky and MissJayne for reviewing. Also thanks to Huddly for sending me ideas; I might use the one I told you I liked next chapter!

Emily Fornell was lying in bed, her mother had just tucked her in after her bath and she was reading her a story. It was Beauty and the Beast, a Disney classic, and they were about halfway through. Belle had been imprisoned by the villagers and they were about to storm the castle. This was one of her favourite parts in the movie, where little Chip helped Belle to escape so they could ride to the castle just in time to live happily ever after… Her mother put the book down on the bed and reached out to her daughter, stroking her brown hair from her head.

"You're way ahead of me, aren't you, Em?" she said with a smile, and Emily giggled in response to getting caught daydreaming the end. She couldn't help it; it was her favourite Disney so her imagination ran away with her sometimes. Her mother kissed her forehead and then picked the book back up, to finish the story. When Emily found her eyelids drooping, her mother tucked her in.

"Goodnight Em, I love you." her mother said and then turned off her light, leaving the door ajar so she could see the night-light in the hall.

"Love you too mommy, 'night." Emily snuggled down in bed, drifting off and then a loud crash jolted her from her dozing, sending her sitting straight upright. She stayed completely still, her heart hammering in her chest as she heard footsteps on the stairs, getting louder and closer.

Suddenly she heard her mother's voice, shouting and screaming for whoever it was to leave the house, then for the person to not hurt her, and then she was just screaming. Emily huddled up closer, small terrified sounds escaping her lips as it became harder to breathe. Her mother became quiet, and the house was silent.

A shadow was cast on the wall by the night-light, a large figure, dragging another smaller one, which Emily knew instinctively, was her mother. Emily shakily got out of bed, and moved closer to the door, a powerful need to know what was going on, to know her mother was alright, driving her against her common sense. She looked around the door, pulling it further open so she could see around it and then her breath froze in her chest at the sight that met her.

A large man was pulling her mother over to the top of the stairs. She dangled uselessly from the man's grip, red liquid running from her back where a knife was protruding from her, and on to the carpet. The man pushed her body forwards down the stairs, carefully making sure she didn't turn on the way down and Emily found herself screaming. Tears streamed down her face and the man turned to her, his shadowed face looking right at her. He advanced on her and she screamed harder and louder, but to no avail. He gripped her shoulders and she twisted and turned, trying to escape, but his grip was too tight.

"Emily." he called and she recoiled from him. "Emily honey, it's ok." He said, his voice low and soothing, but she just tried harder to escape, struggling to free herself.

"Emily, wake up!" a female voice said close to her and Emily found herself opening her eyes and looking around an unfamiliar room. She was in bed and a woman was sat on the bed next to her. She turned to the woman, scared to see that this was a trick, that she was still in the clutches of that evil man, only to see a red haired woman, stroking her hair from her face and wiping her tears away.

"Mom? Mom!" Emily cried in relief, throwing her arms around her mother and burying her face in her neck. Her mother hugged her back, rocking her slowly. It was all a dream, none of it was real. Her mother was here, she was alive and well and no one was going to hurt her.

"Oh Emily…" she said softly, regretfully, and Emily froze again. That wasn't her mother's voice. Then she remembered, all of her memories hit her, of being rescued, finally being in her father's arms again and then seeing that same red liquid dripping down his leg. Then she was being taken away from him, sandwiched between two strange women in a car on a long journey, the both of them giving her awkward glances, unsure of how to act around her. Then she had been put in another car by the dark haired woman, the blonde staying a few steps behind, and she had never been so alone.

Then the red haired woman had hugged her, and she had stayed in her arms since then. She had said her name was Jenny, but Emily had been in a daze, just walking when she'd had to, not talking to anyone or thinking about anything that would remind her of the monster who 'd hurt Neil, taken her prisoner, shot her dad and… killed her mother.

Her mother… she was dead. She wasn't coming back to her; she would never read her a story or tuck her in. She would never again be waiting for her after school, hug her or tell her everything was fine. She was gone, that evil man had taken her away forever.

* * *

Jenny held Emily tightly, rocking her slightly until the tears stopped, and she hiccupped softly. Mom, she'd called her mom. Jenny squeezed her own eyes shut, attempting to stop any of her own tears from leaking out, her heart constricting painfully. She had always known she would feel strange at being called mom by a child that wasn't hers, but she was surprised by how painful it was. Her baby girl would have called her mom; if she hadn't… she took a shuddering breath and kissed Emily's hair. This was going to be a lot tougher than she originally thought. She probably wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon, so Jenny looked across to the alarm clock on the bedside cabinet. It was half past ten in the morning, so they had slept for a good six hours. Jenny pulled back from Emily and wiped her eyes.

"Emily would you like some breakfast?" she asked softly, but Emily said nothing. She was closing up again, and that worried her. Jenny pulled her back into her embrace and then picked her up, wrinkling her nose when she encountered wet clothes. She must have wet herself during her nightmare. Jenny hugged her regardless, her clothes were yesterday's anyway, and she took Emily to the bathroom. Emily started to cry again, probably realised what she had done when cold air hit her, and Jenny stood her in front of her.

"Emily, can you get a shower honey?" she asked and Emily nodded, her response time much faster than yesterday. Jenny nodded and gave Emily one last squeeze before turning the shower on, leaving a towel out and then leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Jenny walked straight to her wardrobe and looked through it for some good comfort wear, for both her and Emily. She wasn't sure when she should expect Emily's things to arrive, but knowing Ziva it would be soon, if it wasn't here already. She pulled out a pair of black boot cut jeans and an emerald green tunic shirt, intent upon making Emily feel as unthreatened as possible. She knew her suits could give her a hard edge and that was something she didn't want today. She picked out her boots, unsure if she should bother wearing them since she would more than likely be staying home all day with Emily. Laying the outfit on the bed she picked up another pair of string pull pyjama bottoms and a sweat shirt for Emily, and then pulled out her phone and dialled a familiar number.

"_Hello?_" a voice said, the other end being picked up after only a few rings.

"Ducky? It's Jenny. I'm worried about Emily." She said, getting straight to the point.

"_How so?_" he asked, becoming all business in response to her words. Jenny walked out of her room and over to the top of the stairs. She looked down at the front door and saw a few bags in the hall, a small smile gracing her lips as her thoughts of Ziva's efficiency were justified. She walked back into her room and put the clothes for Emily back in her wardrobe while answering Ducky's question.

"She had a really bad nightmare, when she woke up she thought I was her mother. When she realised her mistake she stopped responding again. She wet the bed too, is that normal?" Jenny had never had a nightmare so bad that she had lost control of her body, never. It worried her that a girl as young as Emily had. Was what had happened to her something that she would never get over? She hoped not, Emily deserved better than to be scarred from this.

"_Don't worry Jennifer, Emily is bound to have nightmares, and losing bladder control is a lot more common than you might think._" Ducky said gently, allying her fears in the hopes it would make her calmer around Emily. Children could pick up on the feelings of the adults around them, so it was important that Jenny remain cool, calm and collected at most, if not all, times.

"Even so, I'd feel a lot better if you could come and see her. She only responds to me when I look her in the eye and ask her a question, the rest of the time she just stares at nothing, it's unnerving." She said, turning to look at the bathroom, trying to hear if Emily had stepped under the spray yet. She couldn't hear any difference, though that didn't mean she wasn't in the shower.

"_I'll be over soon; I just need to give mother her dinner._" He said and Jenny wrinkled her nose thinking of the mush that he gave his mother, her false teeth making it impossible for her to chew her food.

"Thank you Ducky, see you soon." she ended the call and put her phone in her pocket and then walked out, down the stairs and over to the bags.

"Those arrive this morning, Senora." Noemi said in her broken English as she came out of the kitchen. Jenny looked up and nodded.

"Hello Noemi. These are for my guest, I should have told you last night."

"The child Emily, si, Senora Ziva told me when she bring those this morning." She explained smiling. She looked pointedly at Jenny's wet shirt and Jenny looked down, remembering she had to change. She needed to shower really, but she was putting it off until she could introduce Emily to Noemi.

"She had an accident this morning, I forgot to change. Would you mind watching her a while?" she asked hopefully. Those clean clothes were shouting for her and the sooner she changed the happier she would be.

"Si Senora, I love children." She said enthusiastically, and Jenny gave momentary thanks for Noemi. She'd be lost without her, and quite possibly dead from starvation, or overweight from take away every night.

"Thank you Noemi." She said, turning and carrying some of the bags up the stairs and into the guest room, where she remembered she would need to strip the bed. She did so right then, she may as well while she was still in dirty clothes, and then she put a towel on the bed to soak up and draw out the wetness, stuffed the soiled bedding into a laundry basket and took it into her room, ready to add Emily's nightwear and her clothes to the load. She knocked on the door and called in to Emily, but there was no response. Instead of walking in Jenny decided to wait a few more minutes.

The door opened and Emily pocked her head out, looking up at Jenny and then muttering something to her. Luckily Jenny heard her and smiled. She didn't know what she was going to wear.

"Some of your things from home arrived; I put your bags in your room. Why don't we go choose something from them to wear?" she said softly and Emily nodded. Jenny escorted her to her room and they pulled her clothes out of her bags and Emily sorted through it all. Jenny turned around while Emily dressed and then she took her hand and brought her down the stairs to the kitchen, where Noemi walked over and smiled widely at the little girl. Emily smiled back a little, gripping Jenny's hand tighter.

"Emily, this is Noemi."

"I will make your breakfast for you. What do you like?" Noemi asked and Emily just stared. Jenny crouched down and looked Emily in the eye.

"Emily, I need to go get changed. Will you be ok with Noemi for a little while?" she asked her, and Emily nodded. Jenny smiled happily and then stood, walking straight to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Jenny stepped out of her room clad in the clothes she had laid out, minus boots, and she walked quickly to the door, picked up the rest of the bags and brought them up to Emily's room. She walked back down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Emily was poking a spoon at a bowl of cereal, while Noemi looked worriedly on. Jenny approached Emily and stroked her hair gently, making Emily drop her spoon and hug her.

Someone knocked on the door and Noemi went to answer it. Jenny smiled, Ducky had been much faster than she'd thought he would be. She asked Emily to let go so she could see who was at the door, but the male voice that carried through the house made Emily's grip tighten and Jenny's stomach flip flop. Jethro. He walked in to the kitchen obviously having gotten Noemi to tell him where they were, and he started to walk closer to them. Emily screamed in terror and tightened her hold on Jenny, stopping Jethro in his tracks. He looked at Jenny pointedly and she nodded.

"The study, I'll be out in a minute." She said, rubbing soothing circles on Emily's back. Gibbs walked back out, passing Noemi as she came back in. "Emily, I need you to let go so I can speak with a visitor. Noemi will stay here with you while I speak with him, ok?" Jenny said softly and Emily reluctantly released her. Jenny pressed a kiss to Emily's hair and then walked quickly out of the kitchen and into her study. Gibbs stood in the middle of the room, waiting for her to join him. Jenny walked past him towards the drinks cabinet.

"Can I get you anything Jethro? Bourbon?" she asked, her hands pausing over a glass.

"No thanks. I came by to see how Emily was doing; I guess the answer is obviously 'not well'." He said, and Jenny turned around, leaving the glasses untouched.

"It's only been a few hours Jethro; you can't expect her to be back to normal so soon." she said softly.

"Any problems?" he asked, moving closer to her. She watched him carefully, keeping a certain distance between them. She could feel her body warming under his gaze and she turned away to hide her flush.

"She had a nightmare, but she's more aware today. I called Ducky, but seeing her reaction to you I'm not sure anymore if it would be a good idea for him to see her."

"I think it would be best if he did, Ducky is great with kids." He said, and Jenny turned around, hurt from his implication.

"I'm not doing too badly myself." She said evenly.

"I never said you were."

"No, it's what you implied." She narrowed her eyes slightly at him and he shrugged.

"Well you don't exactly have any experience in this area." He reminded her and she drew herself up angrily.

"You don't know what experience I have with children!" she hissed at him and he took a step forwards, annoyed at her behaviour. Perhaps Ducky was right, she did have a problem.

"I mean parenting, and that's something I know you never had."

"And I thought you knew everything about me." She replied, her voice low and his eyebrows drew together.

"What exactly does that mean?" he asked angrily. She opened her mouth to retort, but was stopped by another voice.

"I think it means I arrived just in time." Ducky spoke up from the doorway, and both Jenny and Jethro turned to him almost gratefully. He looked between the two of them, having heard more than they thought. He too wondered about Jenny's words, but he also knew the way to get information from her was to not have Jethro in the room.

"Emily was scared by the sight of Jethro, could you try and talk to her?" Jenny asked him, and he nodded.

"Of course my dear." He replied and then went straight towards the kitchen, leaving them both alone.

"Meaning what, Jenny?" Jethro asked, unwilling to let this go.

"Nothing." She said, trying to get a hold of her emotions, to stop herself from giving anything else away. This was something she needed to keep from him; especially since she found out he had lost a child.

"It obviously means something or you wouldn't have said it." he insisted but she wouldn't be swayed.

"Leave it, Jethro." she said, and he shook his head at her. He walked away, then stopped in the doorway and turned around.

"When the going gets tough, leave it. I guess some habits are hard to break." he said caustically. She bristled and lowered her voice dangerously.

"Get out." He did, slamming the door as he went through it. Jenny let out the breath she had been holding, all of the hurt his words had caused making tears prick her eyes. She took a deep breath, tried to hold it, failed and then let out a groan of frustration. She couldn't do this. She moved swiftly to the drinks cabinet and picked up a glass and a decanter. She poured herself a drink of Bourbon and then put the decanter away. She lifted the glass to her lips and then paused. A sound caught her ear and she put the glass full of untouched liquid down. Emily was calling for her.

Jenny apprehensively walked out of her study and in to the kitchen, worried that Emily was just too damaged by what that man had done to ever be comfortable around men. What if she started to get nervous around her own father, what would happen to her then? She looked up as she entered the kitchen, surprised to see Ducky offering Emily a cup of tea. Emily was near tears, but so far had not screamed, just called Jenny's name.

She saw Jenny and jumped down from her chair and then ran into her arms. Jenny lifted the girl and brought her back to Ducky, sitting on the chair she had just vacated with Emily on her lap. Emily seemed to respond well to her, maybe she could make her accept men being around if she stayed close to her. It seemed to work, the little girl just watched Ducky; not trying to get away from him or scream. Calmer now, Emily took the cup from Ducky and, with Jenny steadying her hands, drank it.

* * *

"I offered her some sugary tea, it helps with shock." Ducky explained to Jennifer and she nodded, watching Emily drain the cup quickly. He smiled at the sight; Jennifer was completely focussed on Emily, and the scared little girl he had met just moments ago had morphed before his eyes into the calm girl that now sat on Jennifer's lap, happily drinking the tea he had given her. Jennifer's maternal instincts were strong, much stronger than he had thought they would be and Emily obviously felt very safe with her. He stood, deciding to wait for Jenny in the study, and she caught his eye, and then nodded in understanding.

Ducky walked to the study and then looked around. It was a nice room, very tranquil, but not very Jenny. It was too masculine. He looked over to the desk and saw the drinks cabinet next to it, a glass of bourbon upon its surface. He approached it and sniffed it. It was fresh, she had just poured it. He sighed, this looked bad. He had thought she had a problem, but drinking first thing in the morning? He shook his head sadly. This had to stop, one way or another.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to alix33, KSBP, HesMines, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Huddly, Twilight Trekky and MissJayne for reviewing. Also thank you to Huddly for the inspiration for the last part of this chapter. It felt better for it to be a stranger, rather than Gibbs. ;)

Gibbs closed Jenny's front door behind him and walked quickly to his car, just needing to get away from her. He was angry, hurt and a little despondent, all feelings that he felt on a regular basis after an argument with Jenny. Well his plan to get closer to her was backfiring already, and that was not a good sign. Why couldn't they have a civil conversation without it either turning into sexual innuendo or a shouting match? He sighed already knowing the answer. It was because they knew each other, knew which buttons to press to get which response and most importantly, they were both scared.

He didn't know what she was scared of, but his reason was a much better one anyway. She had hurt him deeply when she had walked away from him, and the pain that event had caused him wasn't easy to forget. Since he had regained his memories, Paris had been brought into sharp relief against his other recollections, and he knew she had made him happier than he had been with any other woman except Shannon, but that made the pain that much worse too. He wanted to forget about it, put it behind them and kiss her senseless, but he couldn't help thinking that she would just hurt him again, and he couldn't take the prospect of that. He may be a marine with a tough exterior, but he wasn't masochistic. If anything was going to happen between them, it would have to be her that extended the olive branch.

He wasn't stupid, he knew she wanted him, he had learned the cues of her body and its language a long time ago, he could read her like an addictive romance novel, and that was why she managed to confuse him. When she began to bask in his presence, she also began to pick fights. They did it to each other often enough, but it was a constant thing with Jenny. It was like she was trying to teach her body to attack him when she became hot and bothered by him.

He shook his head and started his car, pulling out of her driveway and setting off to the Navy Yard. He'd talk to Ducky about Jenny later; his old friend could help him put everything into perspective in the way only Ducky can. The trip to work was fast to keep his mind occupied on the road rather than on a certain red head, and how natural it had looked for her to have a child clinging to her.

_And I thought you knew everything about me. _What did she mean by that? Was there something she was hiding from him? Something to do with her strange obsession with the Arms Dealer Ducky had told him about? Or maybe something to do with parenting… _You don't know what experience I have with children!_ Something was very wrong with those statements, he'd known it the second she had uttered them, but only now did it filter through his mind what it could mean.

Jenny had never had children, her file said so, as did her medical records, but her intimation was clear. He didn't know everything about her or her experiences, which meant she was purposefully keeping something from him, something about herself and children. Gibbs hit the brakes so hard his car skidded along the tarmac for a few moments before coming to a stop and he just stared out of his windscreen with his mouth slightly agape.

Jenny was keeping a _child_ from him? No, that was impossible, he would have heard about it at some point and it would be in her file. There would have been children's stuff in her house and there wasn't. So she wasn't hiding a child, but that was the only thing that fit her behaviour and what she had said to him. Unless she no longer had the child. Gibbs sighed and leaned back in his chair, ignoring the honking horns behind him as his stomach plummeted. He started his car again and drove into the Navy Yard, parked his car and pulled out his phone. It rang on for a while meaning he was busy, but Gibbs tried again regardless. This time it was picked up.

"_Hello?_"

"Duck, we need to talk."

* * *

Ducky waited patiently for Jenny to finish with Emily, and before long he heard her footsteps approaching. He turned towards her as she entered the study and had to fight to keep the sternness from his face. She smiled at him and walked over to her desk, sitting behind it and gesturing for him to sit opposite her. He did, and then decided he had put this talk off for far too long.

"Jennifer, I couldn't help but notice you seem to be drinking more than you usually do." He started off carefully, watching her face for his cues. The smile froze on her face and she leaned back in her chair.

"Excuse me?" she said, her voice even, a subtle undercurrent of aggression lying just beneath the surface.

"I have known you for a long time Jennifer, I know your liking of Bourbon comes from Jethro, and I also know that it has never been a problem for you, until now." he spoke kindly, but he could tell she wasn't hearing the concern, just the accusation of being dependant on alcohol. She didn't move, just stared at him, her eyes narrowing as she spoke back.

"Until now?"

"Yes." He replied firmly. She leaned all the way back in her chair and glared at him, unable to think of anything to say, or just not interested in talking with him about this. He forged ahead anyway, hoping to break through her protective cocoon of hostility. "Drinking first thing in the morning is not good for you, nor is it good for Emily. She needs stability and a calm, focussed minder, not a-"

"Drunk and erratic old woman with no children of her own?" she supplied angrily, cutting him off. He shook his head at her, surprised at her assessment of herself. The lack of children was really getting to her wasn't it? Perhaps he should have left it well enough alone.

"Jennifer you know that isn't what I mean. You have a problem that has been going on for at least a week, maybe more. Just because you have managed to hide it from us doesn't mean it isn't there." He said gently, hoping she would just agree with him, but knowing she wouldn't. She would only acknowledge she had a problem when she was ready to do so.

"I don't have a problem, Ducky." She said, just as he thought she would. Why couldn't she see that he was trying to protect her?

"Then I'm sure you won't mind if I monitor your alcohol intake to prove it, should your superiors ask." He stated. Maybe a firm hand would get her to look at her actions in a different light?

"No I wouldn't." she said through gritted teeth.

"Good." He said, smiling warmly despite the hurt look of betrayal that she was throwing at him. Now was the time to try and mend the bridges he had just harassed. "You are doing a wonderful job with Emily, Jennifer. The difference in her behaviour with me and you is striking and I'm confident that in your care she will get better." Jenny relaxed slightly, a wary smile of contentment appearing on her face at Emily's name. "Agent Fornell wishes to see her soon. Where did you learn to calm her so well?" he asked slyly, his mind already supplying the only possible ways.

"Rosie used to cry all the time, she-" Jenny began but cut off mid sentence, a stricken look of agony and shock on her face. She looked up at him quickly and narrowed her eyes accusingly, then looked away.

"Rosie?" he pressed, but she said no more. "Jennifer, you need to talk about this." He said softly. She shook her head mutely, her eyes filling with tears. "Jennifer…"

"I talked to Ziva about it after she saved my life; I don't need to open up to you too." she said angrily, standing up from behind the desk and rounding it in an attempt to put some more distance between them. Ducky watched her go and then called out to her softly when she was almost out of the study.

"When did Ziva save your life?" he asked curiously. Jenny stopped and answered without turning around.

"In Cairo, years ago." She said softly, remembering that moment when her young partner had become a firm friend for life brought together by a tragedy that no one had been able to foresee.

"Because of Rosie?" he asked softly and Jenny's posture became rigid.

"Thank you for coming over Dr. Mallard, I'm sure you can show yourself out." She threw over her shoulder, and then walked out, back to the kitchen without a backward glance.

* * *

Emily looked up from the pancake mix that she had been trying to put in a pan for Noemi when she heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen. She stepped closer to Noemi, afraid until Jenny entered the room and then she smiled brightly, abandoning the mix in favour of being held by Jenny. She ran forwards, holding her arms out in front of her and Jenny lifted her into her arms.

"Hey Emily? Would you like to go see your father today?" Jenny asked softly, and Emily nodded eagerly. It would be wonderful to see her daddy. "Ok then, go get your shoes on." She held Emily's hand and took her upstairs to get their shoes on and then they walked out, to Jenny's seldom driven car, and then towards the hospital. The drive there was quiet, Emily spent her time playing with her hair and staring for signs pointing towards the hospital. When they finally pulled up, Emily was very excited to see her daddy.

Jenny unbuckled both of their seatbelts, exited the car and locked it, then took Emily inside, up to the front desk. It took only a few seconds of conversation with the receptionist to find her father's room and then they were off. Jenny had to pick up her pace to keep up with Emily as she practically sped down the hall, counting the room numbers until they came to 253, her daddy's room. She opened the door before Jenny could reach for the door handle and then threw herself through it, dragging Jenny behind her.

"Daddy!" she shouted happily, and Tobias opened his eyes groggily and searched for the sound that had awoken him. He didn't have to search long, as Emily ran to him and grabbed his hand, trying to use it to pull herself up on the bed with him. Jenny picked her up when she nearly dislodged the drip attached to Tobias, and she smoothed down the blankets when Emily's eager wriggling pulled them off of his feet.

"Emily, angel, where have you been?"

"In Jenny's house. It's big and nice, she's nice." She said, throwing a smile at Jenny over her shoulder. Jenny smiled back and then she retreated out of the room to stand out in the hall, to give them some privacy. Half an hour later was when it happened. Jenny went to the bathroom, and when she came back, a male doctor was approaching the room, looking over a chart in his hands, unaware that Tobias wasn't alone. He opened the door and walked straight in. Jenny rushed over to the room, but the scream that erupted from the room said that she was too late.

Bursting through the door, Jenny saw the strangest, most amazing sight. Emily was screaming and crying, but she wasn't hiding, she was standing in front of her dad's bed, beating her little fists on the stunned doctor's chest, screaming at him to leave her and her daddy alone. She was standing up for herself against a strange man. Jenny leapt forwards regardless, unsure of how the doctor would react to being attacked. She shushed Emily and pulled her into her arms, shooing the doctor out of the room. He left immediately, unsure of what was going on.

Emily sobbed into Jenny's chest, and she stroked the little girl's hair gently. Tobias reached out his arms to her so Jenny lifted Emily and placed her in her father's arms. Fornell caught Jenny's eyes over Emily's head and nodded to her gratefully, and Jenny smiled back. It was a turning point for her, hopefully a good one.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Twilight Trekky, alix33, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Huddly, LadyJibbs, MissJayne and HesMines for reviewing!

Jenny watched Fornell calm Emily for a few more moments and then decided the poor doctor Emily attacked was owed an explanation. She caught Tobias' eye and pointed to the door. He nodded and then she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. The doctor was still there, he turned to look at her as she approached him, his expression confused and now it had a glimmer of anger. Jenny felt bad for him; the hospital staff did get a lot of abuse from patients.

"I really must apologise for what happened in there, she was afraid, she overreacted." She said to him, her voice gentle and soothing, and her smile disarming. The doctor relaxed his posture almost immediately in response, an answering smile appearing on his face.

"I really can't imagine why, she's a little spitfire." He said admiringly, as if he hadn't just been fuming over her attack on him mere moments ago.

"Yes, well. She's been through a very traumatic time and her father was injured as a result." Jenny explained, gesturing behind her to the room Fornell and Emily were in. "I know you might not think so, but it's actually a good sign that she stood up for herself." He nodded and looked her over thoughtfully, before gesturing to Fornell's room.

"Well I do need to get back in there to treat her father. Could she be removed from the room while I do so?" he asked, unwilling to be attacked again. Jenny nodded, thinking it through. They had been here for nearly an hour, it was time to go home, and maybe she could call Cynthia and find out what was going on at work.

"It's time I took her home anyway. Thank you for your understanding." She said to him, a bright smile breaking out on her face when he lowered his head and waved off her thanks. Flattery seemed to work very well on this doctor, she noted, filing the information away for future reference. If there were ever any accidents involving her Agents she would more than likely be able to get all of their information from him.

"Its fine, she wasn't really hurting me. I'll just check up on your husband now." he said, throwing a sly glance in her direction as he emphasised the word 'husband'. Jenny smothered her grin, not wanting the harmless flirting to look like she was seriously considering dating him. She recalled how easily Doctor Gelfand had gotten out of hand when he thought she was interested in him. The flowers had been lovely, but no means no.

"He isn't my husband." She said, carefully trying to make her voice sound casual instead of enticing. She really had no intention of picking up a man; she just liked the attention sometimes. Besides, he was quite young, and though she didn't doubt she could easily get away with dating him without being called nasty names, she just didn't have the drive to do such a thing. The only man she wanted was off limits to her, and even if she did get him back, what would she say to him when he found out about Rosie? She couldn't bear the thought of having to recount those terrible events ever again. Only Ziva and herself knew what had happened, and she wanted it to stay that way.

"Oh really? So you're unattached…?" he asked, moving closer to her and looking over her hands for a wedding ring. At least he was one of those guys that actually looked for it. His smile widened when he didn't find one.

"Goodbye Doctor." She said, amused and turned away from him, signalling that she really wasn't interested in him. Perhaps he wouldn't be the best source of information. She entered Fornell's room and closed the door behind her, not really wanting the doctor to follow her in. Tobias and Emily were snuggled up on the bed, Emily's head tucked under his chin. He looked up from Emily's hair when Jenny entered and she smiled at him.

"The doctor understands that it was an accident. How are you feeling?" she asked when his eyes met hers.

"I've been better." He answered shortly and shrugged, then sighed at her raised eyebrow and serious expression and gave her a real answer. "My leg will take a while to heal because I'm not as young as I used to be, so I'll be here for at least a week. The FBI has suspended me for taking my case to NCIS and I may be subject to a disciplinary tribunal." He groused heatedly. Jenny nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll go see your Director; see if I can take some of the heat off of you. I could make Gibbs come." It was Tobias' turn to raise an eyebrow, so she glared at him and then quickly retracted her statement. "I'll _ask_ Gibbs if he's willing to go with me to FBI headquarters, and to be the excuse to get you out of trouble. He was married to Diane too, after all, so he may get away with having an excuse to bring the case to the attention of NCIS." She explained, and Tobias nodded, wondering if that would be enough to get him back in the good books.

"If he doesn't go?" Fornell asked, resuming stroking Emily's hair. Jenny shrugged indifferently.

"I'll get your Director to come to NCIS. Gibbs can run, but he can't escape me forever." She said, winking in jest. Tobias chuckled and then kissed Emily's hair.

"Thanks Jenny." he said and Jenny held up a hand.

"Don't thank me yet, your Director is uncommonly obstinate. He may not go for it. I hope he values you." she said gravely and Fornell nodded thoughtfully. He was a good Agent, but he was getting old. Would his Director bother trying to help him? Or would he just let him go and get some younger recruits to replace the personnel shift his departure would create? For Emily's sake he had to hope he would get to keep his job. He wasn't exactly poor, but Emily was used to two parents and the expenses that entailed. It would be a tough adjustment to only having one parent paying for her dance lessons and other activities.

"Emily, it's time to go back home with Jenny." he said softly to his young daughter, and she shook her head, tightening her hold on him.

"I don't want to leave you daddy." She said brokenly, making both adults wince at the thought of separating her from her father, but they had to. The doctor had been patient so far, but that wouldn't hold out for much longer. They really had to leave.

"Go on Emily, you can't stay in the hospital with me. You have to go home with Jenny. I'll be out soon." he said to her, looking into her eyes so she knew he meant it. Emily snuffled loudly and wiped her eyes.

"Promise?" she asked, and he smiled at her, nodding.

"I promise Angel." He whispered to her, kissing her forehead and then gently nudging her to the edge of the bed, where Jenny lifted her into her arms and hugged her, hoping that she would feel more at ease with her again when she recalled how she had looked after her. Emily hugged her back and then Jenny set her down on her feet, took her hand and walked to the door.

"I love you daddy." Emily said over her shoulder, and Tobias nodded, a lump appearing in his throat. He hadn't liked watching her being taken away the first time, and he hated it this time. He had a lot to work out where Emily was concerned, and he may as well do some of that now while he had nothing to do but lounge around. Jenny and Emily walked out of the door and waved the doctor in.

* * *

Ducky stared at the floor indicator in the lift without really seeing it. He was lost in his mind, trying to piece together everything Jennifer had told him and everything he had inferred from her actions, body language and what Jethro had said. It wasn't painting the prettiest picture for him, in fact it was quite a harrowing picture that all of that brought to mind and he wasn't sure anymore if he should pry any further.

Jennifer needed to open up to someone, and unless he'd missed his guess, she needed to talk to Jethro about it too. He had a right to know what was going on with her, but Ducky wanted to make sure there was something worth upsetting them both over before he locked them in a room together. There wasn't much of a chance that he was wrong, but even a small chance was potentially detrimental to them.

The lift stopped at the squad room floor and the doors opened, allowing Ducky to step out. He had one more person to speak to about what was going on, and he didn't want to do it in the bullpen. They would need privacy to converse on this subject, if he could get her to speak. He approached Ziva's desk, glad to see she was there, and he stopped in front of it. Ziva's eyes flickered up to him when he didn't move on for a few moments and then she sat up in pleasant surprise.

"Ducky, Gibbs just left for autopsy to look for you." she said amused. Ducky chuckled, he knew what Jethro wanted, but he needed to talk to Ziva first. He leaned over her desk and spoke in a low voice, trying very hard to not be overheard.

"I actually need to speak with you in private, if you have a moment?" he asked. Ziva drew her eyebrows together curiously and nodded, standing up and rounding her desk. Ducky gestured for her to follow him and she nodded again, smiling at his antics, following him around the corner of the stairs. He turned to her and then thought about the best way to broach a subject that she would more than likely not want to talk about.

"What is this about Ducky?" she asked, her voice lilting in suppressed laughter. He smiled back and then decided to ask about the things she could tell him, and then move onto the things that weren't hers to say.

"I just heard that while you and Jennifer were in Cairo, you saved her life. I just wondered what her injuries were, since I found no mention of any such accident in her file." He said, playing the part of the concerned doctor. Ziva stiffened for a moment, her expression becoming wary. "I just want to know if she's hiding any problems from me." He reassured her quickly. Ziva thought it over and then nodded.

"Jenny was incapacitated for a time, but the injuries she sustained were mostly superficial bruising." She reported, carefully not giving anything about what happened away. Ducky frowned; this would be a little more difficult than he had first thought.

"Thank you Ziva, now what about you?" he asked slyly, smothering a grin when she nodded absently and replied to him.

"Again superficial bruising."

"And Rosie?" he asked, putting no emphasis on the name and hoping Ziva wouldn't notice until it was too late.

"She-" Ziva cut off, realising her mistake almost immediately, and gave Ducky a wounded glare. "I will not say anymore."

"Ziva, I need to know what happened." He insisted, attempting to give his voice a superior edge. Ziva was undaunted however.

"Why?" she asked practically growling the word. Ducky decided to just tell her, she may be more inclined to help when she knew the full story. He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Jennifer is having problems, drinking problems. I think it is connected to whatever happened to this Rosie, and quite possibly, the Arms dealer she has been chasing after for the last ten years." He told her, laying down the gist of what had put him on the trail of this largely unknown period of Jennifer's life. Ziva nodded, looking thoughtful but then waved away his concern.

"I have noticed, but this problem is recent, Rosie is not." She replied to him, unconvinced she should break her confidence with Jenny, and the trust she had in her.

"Then don't tell me anything, just confirm or deny my suspicions." He asked, coming as close to begging as he would ever allow himself to get. Whatever happened to Rosie was eating Jenny up inside, and he wanted it to stop.

"Alright, but this never happened. I do not want to lose Jenny's friendship." She stipulated to him, and Ducky nodded eagerly, wanting to be underway as quickly as possible.

"Agreed. Rosie was her daughter, wasn't she?" he began, asking the question that he thought of as a starting point that would lead nicely into the other questions he had.

"Yes."

"She was pregnant when she transferred to European operations?"

"As far as I am aware, yes."

"Gibbs is Rosie's father?"

"Was. I believe so."

"Rosie was born alive?"

"Yes." She said a look of remorse and a little happiness appearing on her face as she remembered the young girl that had been a part of her life so long ago, only to be taken away.

"She was put in danger?" he asked, and this time Ziva didn't reply, merely cocked her head to one side and waited for the next guess.

"Was she kidnapped?" he asked the only other thing that made sense.

"Yes." She said quietly, crossing her arms defensively and leaning back against the wall.

"And murdered?" he prodded gently.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Thank you Ziva. Now do you know where that Arms dealer fits into all of this?" he asked, coming up with his own ideas about that. Jennifer was very driven to find that man. Why? It explained at least why she had let him go with Gibbs to find Emily.

"No, I am sorry." Ziva shook her head. She didn't know, but then they hadn't known much about what had prompted the attack on Rosie.

"How did you save Jennifer's life?" he asked curiously.

"It was a warehouse, where they were keeping Rosie. Jenny left without backup to find her daughter, but she was already dead. I followed her, but when I got there, she was holding her daughter's body, unaware of the fact she was alone. They had set a bomb in the warehouse. I had to practically drag Jenny out of there, and even then we almost did not make it." she recounted the tale softly, the day still burned into her memory. The anguished crying of Jenny over her daughter's body, the distress she felt for her friend, the helplessness of knowing there was nothing she could do, but still needing to do something.

"Rosie's body?" Ducky enquired, and Ziva closed her eyes for a moment.

"She never let go of it. Rosie is interred in her family plot, along with Jenny's mother." She said quickly, unwilling to talk of it anymore. It was painful to remember. She had been there at Rosie's birth, though she hadn't wanted to be, and Jenny hadn't known her enough to want her there, but their choices had been irrelevant when Rosie had decided to be born in thick of a fire fight. It had brought them closer and she had spent a lot of her time with Jenny and Rosie. Her death had nearly broken her and Jenny apart, but they had come to depend on each other and their friendship had survived and become stronger.

"Thank you Ziva, that was very informative." Ducky said softly, placing a hand on her arm comfortingly. It was how he had suspected; now his only problem was telling Gibbs he had lost another daughter.

"It sure was. I think your phone is dead Duck, I had to come looking for you." Ducky and Ziva both froze and looked around the corner of the stairs, where the voice of Gibbs had emanated from. He spared them the effort and walked around the corner himself, so they were face to face with him. He didn't look amused.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Twilight Trekky, KSBP, MissJayne, YourFavoriteLabPartnerEver and babyred1995 for reviewing!

Gibbs sat at his desk, checking the time and watching the elevator, waiting for Ducky to come and meet him. When he had called him after seeing Jenny, the good doctor had just been leaving her house, having been told to find the door and walk through it. Those hadn't been her exact words of course, she had said it politely because Jenny wasn't that abrasive; she was too eloquent to be. Ducky had agreed that they needed to talk and told him he would meet him back here at NCIS to speak about her, but so far he hadn't shown up. Gibbs sighed and looked at the time on his computer, growing more and more impatient. Perhaps he's waiting for me in autopsy? He thought, well it wouldn't hurt to go and have a look.

Jethro pulled out his phone and dialled Ducky, hoping he would pick up and tell him where he was, but instead of ringing, he got the answer phone. Gibbs ended the call and sighed again, his battery must have run flat or something. Gibbs stood up and tucked his phone in his pocket, and turned to look at Ziva, the only member of his team currently in the bullpen. She was cataloguing all of the information they had gotten on Emily's case and putting it in to a folder so that the FBI could take over easily and prosecute the men, which Abby had almost finished identifying, without any problems.

Tony and McGee were helping her down in her lab by re-bagging all of the evidence she finished with and packing it up, ready to be shipped off to the FBI, or Army CID, whichever came out on top of their dogfight, who would test it all again, wasting time, and come to the same conclusions with the same results as they had gotten. His only hope was that the men didn't get very far ahead of them in the time it would take the FBI or CID to bumble around. Maybe he could get Jenny to authorise the arrests of these men on NCIS grounds, then they couldn't get out of the country or disappear.

"I'm going down to autopsy." He said to Ziva, walking around his desk.

"I shall tell Ducky where you are if he comes to look for you up here." She replied to him, and he nodded gratefully and walked over to the elevator that opened up by MTAC on the floor above. He pressed the call button and waited for the elevator doors to open. He didn't have a long wait, and he stepped in and pressed the floor number for autopsy. Where was he? It didn't take this long to get to work form Jenny's house, he should know he'd done the commute many times. Was Ducky going slowly on purpose? Or was he making a pit stop somewhere?

The doors opened and Gibbs stepped out and walked quickly to the autopsy doors, which slid open, revealing an empty room. Even Palmer wasn't here, which was odd. Surely there should be someone looking after autopsy while Ducky was out, otherwise who would stop people from raiding the drugs cabinet or stealing tools? The doors should be locked in there was no one here. Gibbs carefully looked around the room, spotting Jimmy's coat hung by the door. So Palmer _was_ in. Gibbs made a mental note to tell Ducky about his assistant's lack of diligence over autopsy in his absence and then walked back out and towards the lift. He may as well go back to the bullpen. Ducky might meet him on the way.

He pressed the button and the doors slid open immediately, so he stepped in, pressed his floor number and leaned back against the wall. The waiting was driving him crazy; he needed to speak to Ducky about his suspicions, which had put his insides on a slow boil. Jenny tried so hard to keep her secrets from him, and sometimes she was very successful, but not this time. Everything she said seemed to be a veiled hint for him; he just hadn't taken notice, until now. He was struggling with the ideas her words had put into his head and what he really needed was for his old friend to tell him, in his newly acquired professional psychological opinion, that he was nuts and he was seeing an atrocity where none existed.

But his gut told him otherwise. It told him he was on the right track, but his mind told him to back away, that the path he had chosen to pursue would only cause him more pain, and his sanity wasn't sure if it would survive it. If Jenny had lied to him, hidden something so precious from him, he wasn't sure if he could ever forgive her. He hadn't thought she could be so selfish, for herself, yes he could see that, she had left him for her career after all, but for something that so obviously involved him too? No, he hadn't thought of her as that kind of woman. He sighed heavily and forced himself to move when the doors opened at his floor. He stepped out and turned towards his desk, only to see Ducky and Ziva disappear around the corner of the stairs that led up to MTAC and Jenny's office.

Curiosity and a little annoyance drove him to try and head them off at the elevator, so he walked in their direction, coming around the stairs from the back. Instead of seeing them walking towards him however, he saw them hide around that little corner that so many people used as a hiding place. His eyebrows drew together in confusion and a little indignation. Ducky was keeping him waiting so he could have a little chat with Ziva? Gibbs stalked closer to the two of them, about to step around the corner and announce his presence when Ducky's voice stopped him.

"Ziva, I need to know what happened." He said, his voice sounded quite forceful, as if he was trying to make Ziva tell him something she didn't want to reveal. Had Ziva been injured?

"Why?" she asked defensively, and Gibbs opened his mouth to speak and stepped away from the wall, ready to walk around the corner, to try and make Ziva tell Ducky what he wanted to know, but Ducky spoke before he could.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Jennifer is having problems, drinking problems. I think it is connected to whatever happened to this Rosie, and quite possibly, the Arms dealer she has been chasing after for the last ten years." Ducky said, his voice strained as if he was tired of trying to pull answers out of her. This question threw Gibbs, so he closed his mouth and stood his ground. Rosie? Who the hell was Rosie? One thing was now clear to him however, this wasn't about Ziva; it was about Jenny and this Rosie. He stepped back against the wall out of sight and continued to eavesdrop.

"I have noticed, but this problem is recent, Rosie is not." She replied, and Gibbs became completely still. Rosie wasn't recent? Her words made no sense to him at all. He suddenly wished he had overheard the beginning of this conversation, maybe hearing the whole story would explain everything he was missing.

"Then don't tell me anything, just confirm or deny my suspicions." Gibbs heard Ducky say desperately, and he felt that desperation ignite a similar feeling within himself. These were questions and answers he needed to hear too.

"Alright, but this never happened. I do not want to lose Jenny's friendship." Ziva stipulated and Gibbs couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his lips. Jenny would definitely find out about this, Ziva was deluding herself if she really thought that Jenny wouldn't make the connection. Whether their friendship would survive would depend solely on how the two women handled the discovery, and accusation, of betrayal.

"Agreed. Rosie was her daughter, wasn't she?" Ducky asked, and Gibbs closed his eyes briefly, not needing to hear the answer, he already knew, his gut had made the connection a while ago; the only new information was the name and sex of the child. Jenny had had a little girl called Rosie. He zoned out of the conversation, just thinking about what Jenny's daughter must look like, until the next question penetrated his mind.

"Gibbs is Rosie's father?" Ducky said, his voice somehow making it a statement, not a question. Jethro held his breath, waiting to hear the words that would have the power to break him, one way or another. Somehow, the thought that Jenny had given birth to a child that wasn't his, would be far worse than hearing he was the father of a child he didn't know about. What right did he have to think that though, when he was the one that had thrown his relationships in _her_ face? He was the one that had married, actually _married_, another woman only a few months after she had left him. She hadn't done anything like that to him, and as far as he was concerned she could have been celibate since Paris.

"Was. I believe so." Ziva saying she believed he was the father pretty much meant that he was. Ziva would have dug around until she found the truth, that was how Mossad had trained her, and that meant that she had found he was the only one that could have fathered Rosie. He closed his eyes again, this time squeezing them shut against the pain he felt. 'Was', that one word stemmed all of the anger and resentment he had been prepared to feel against Jenny for keeping Rosie from him.

'Was' meant that Jenny no longer had a Rosie to keep from him, 'was' meant that Jenny had felt the soul shattering agony of losing a child, and that was something he could identify with, even if it was like a slug to the gut, an indescribable pain that felt fatal, but wasn't. It would just stay for as long as you lived, as long as you could stand it. He had been prepared to end the pain after losing Shannon and Kelly, he'd held the gun in his hands, pointing it at his head, but something had stopped him from pulling the trigger. What, he didn't know, and it appeared that he had prolonged his life just to cause pain to the women he had married, and the woman he had fallen in love with. He had given her a child, only for her to be killed. It seemed that he was a curse, a broken shadow of the man he once was, that just spread his misfortune to those he cared about.

So he had lost another child, this one he hadn't even known about. Although it hurt, he couldn't say he felt her death that strongly because he had never known her. The pain he felt was in remembrance of all of the time he'd had with Kelly, which he could have had with Rosie. He should have known; he should have seen the signs that Jenny had been giving him unwittingly. Her hesitation when he had asked her that time if she was offering to have a child with him, for example, he should have seen the hesitation and avoidance in her eyes for what it was; guilt. She knew that she had already mothered a child with him, but she hadn't told him, hadn't said anything even though that would have been the perfect opportunity to do so.

He could understand not wanting to reveal the loss of Rosie to anyone, and the desire to keep her a secret from her colleagues; he had done just that for years, but not telling him about his own little girl? That was a low blow and something he'd had the _right_ to know. He opened his eyes, listening to the rest of Ducky and Ziva's conversation, listening to Ziva recount the tale he had wanted to know himself for so long; how she had saved Jenny. It was nothing like he had expected though, nothing like what he wanted to hear, but he listened to every word, trying to understand what had happened to Jenny and their daughter so long ago.

If Ziva hadn't saved Jenny, he would have found out about Rosie years ago, when Jenny's death would have been reported. No doubt Ducky would have taken him to one side and told him, the ME had been the one that kept a close eye on her career, and most especially, her health. How had he missed this?

"Rosie's body?" he heard Ducky ask gently, and he leaned forward, hoping to hear where he would have to go to speak to his second daughter, like he spoke to Shannon and Kelly.

"She never let go of it. Rosie is interred in her family plot, along with Jenny's mother." Ziva replied quietly, and Gibbs ground his teeth together. Jenny's mother was dead? He was suddenly realising he knew hardly anything about Jenny's personal life. Why hadn't he taken the time to find this out years ago? He could have talked about his parents and gotten her to talk about hers without ever mentioning his first wife and child. Why hadn't he?

"Thank you Ziva, that was very informative." Ducky said, and Gibbs straightened up, knowing this was his cue to let them know he had heard them. He took a deep breath and calmed his fury, which was itching to get out, to unleash itself on anyone that got in his way, but he didn't want to lash out. He needed to see Jenny, but first things first.

"It sure was. I think your phone is dead Duck, I had to come looking for you." he forced out, taking the next few seconds to try and convince himself that it wasn't Ziva's secret to tell. He was attempting to not take it personally that she had known his daughter, had taken part in her short life, and then said _nothing_ to him in all the time she had been a part of his team. His thoughts weren't helping, so he rounded the corner quickly.

They stared at him, horrified, unsure if he had heard everything they had said, and unwilling to find out. Ziva threw an accusing glare at Ducky, obviously jumping to the erroneous conclusion that he had set her up to talk about Jenny's secret, and tell Gibbs everything he should be finding out from Jenny. Oh, he intended to speak to her soon, but not now.

"Jethro…" Ducky said in surprise and dismay, glancing back at Ziva and shaking his head in denial. "I had no idea he was there my dear, though I was going to tell him what I found out." He said to her and she stared into his eyes, testing his honesty, and then she nodded relaxing, glad that he was being honest with her rather than just feigning innocence.

"I heard everything Duck, so tell me how it is you two know about Rosie, and I don't. Why am I just hearing about her now?" He asked his oldest friend at NCIS, his voice sharp and low, conveying his rage. Ducky's expression turned from repentant, to sorrowful and he opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Ziva's irate voice.

"It was Jenny's burden, not ours; her child, her choice." Ziva answered him defensively, and he turned to her angrily. Did she really think that argument would sway him? That it would make him say, '_yes, that's fair.'_ He stared at her long and hard until Ziva looked away, her eyes laden with guilt.

"She was my child too Ziva, what about my choice? What about my right to know? _Why_ did she never tell me?" he demanded hotly, stepping closer to the two people he had trusted with his life mere moments ago. Now he couldn't even trust their words.

"You were married before she found out she was pregnant!" Ziva replied furiously, her tone making it obvious she thought his marriage was a foul act, something so obviously aimed at hurting Jenny, and she was right. Ziva supported her decision to not tell Gibbs about his daughter, after all; how much of a good parent would he be when he used a woman as a weapon against another?

"That doesn't make my claim to her any less real, she was my daughter, I should have been told." He insisted, his voice getting louder with his vehemence, the pain finally showing through the anger. Ziva softened her expression and put a hand on Gibbs' shoulder. He stared at it like it was a scorpion that she had just placed on him, but she didn't back down under his glare.

"Jenny didn't want anyone to know about Rosie, she wanted to keep that pain to herself. Surely you understand that?" she asked him, her voice even, her eyes searching his. He looked away this time, looking over at Ducky, whose expression was a little more sympathetic to him, but not much. How could he be this angry when he had done a similar thing himself? The answer, he thought furiously to himself, was; neither Shannon nor Kelly had been related to Jenny. He opened his mouth to retort, to tell them exactly _why_ he didn't understand, but his mobile chose that moment to ring. He stared at the two before him for a few more moments and then whipped out his phone.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He grumbled in to it.

"_Gibbs! We've done it!_" Abby shouted excitedly down the other end, and Gibbs felt his nerves calming. Abby had that effect on him, she was the one he thought of as a daughter, and ironically, was the only one that he would ever have that had survived past childhood. He was just destined to never have a son or daughter that would live, so Abby was as close as he would ever get.

"_Finally._" He heard Tony say in the background, followed by the sound of a swat and an exclamation of pain.

"_I'm talking._" Jethro heard her say to Tony sternly and then she directed her attention back to him. "_All of the prints and DNA searches are done and matched to seven very unsavoury guys._" She reported to him happily, and he heard the distinct slosh of Caf-Pow down the line.

"That's great Abs, I'll call Hollis and tell her. Don't want the FBI to get the evidence or CID will never get a look in on the investigation." He said to her and he just knew she was nodding to him.

"_Yeah, ok. Well it's bagged and ready to go. Oh! How's Emily by the way? And Fornell?_" she asked, her voice losing a little of its energy in preparation of bad news. Gibbs smiled, happy to be able to report good news.

"They're fine, Emily's jumpy around men but Jenny will sort her out." He said confidently, eyeing Ducky in front of him. Ducky nodded in confirmation of what he had just said, he truly believed that Jenny could make Emily better. That was good enough for him, Jenny was competent and now he knew she had experience with children, even if the experience was agonizing to recall.

"_Yeah, she would have made a great mom._" Abby said innocently on the other side of the phone and Gibbs felt a lump appear in his throat, and his heart constrict in pain.

"Yeah. Bye Abs." he rasped, forcing the words past his lips, out of his suddenly dry throat, which ached like it had been torn apart in the face of the anguish he felt.

"_Bye!_" she said happily and he ended the call, shoving his phone in his pocket and taking a deep, calming breath. He looked once more at Ziva and Ducky, and then barged past them, pulling his phone out again. He'd better call Hollis now, before the FBI got wind that the evidence was finished with, or before he lost the ability to speak, whichever came first.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, hermosagirl3, Huddly, telainoflorien, Twilight Trekky, MissJayne and alix33 for reviewing!

Gibbs dialled Hollis' number and waited patiently for her to pick it up. He was distracted, the knowledge he had acquired not long ago had thrown a spanner in his day and he could only hope that Hollis would be up for getting the evidence before the FBI could barge in and confiscate it.

"_Hello?_" Hollis' tired voice answered the phone, and he wondered where she was. Had she gotten any sleep today or gone straight back to work like he had?

"Hollis, its Gibbs. Just wanted to let you know that NCIS is done with the case evidence and if you want it, you'll need to get here before the FBI does." He said and she blew out a breath, possibly in irritation.

"_Thanks Gibbs. I'll send someone over now._" she conversed with someone on the other end of the phone and then spoke to him again. "_Team five didn't survive the night. They died in the early hours, just after we left with Emily. The families didn't even have time to get there._" She said desolately and he felt a little sympathy for her. It was always hard to lose people.

"How are you doing?" he asked hesitantly, he wasn't one to talk about feelings very often, but in certain circumstances he would make an exception.

"_As well as can be expected. It was a risk and they knew that. The families understood at least, and they were proud that their loved ones died saving children._" She said, knowing that it was only a small comfort.

"Yeah. Well don't be a stranger Hollis." He ended the call and put his phone away, took a deep breath and then he thought about what he should do now. Should he go and see Jenny? Ask her to tell him exactly what she was thinking by keeping his daughter a secret from him? Should he avoid her? After all, there was nothing he could do about Rosie now, she was long dead. Perhaps he should just wait until she came into work next, ask her in a casual meeting, maybe in the elevator where she couldn't hide from him.

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. There was no way he would be able to stay away from Jenny now, he needed to know about his little girl, he needed answers from Jenny and he needed to see her. He opened his eyes and nodded to himself before walking towards the nearest lift. He would go to her house and get the answers he wanted.

* * *

Jenny pulled into the driveway of her house and parked her car, looking over at Emily once the vehicle was stationary. Emily had been very quiet during the drive home, not staring vacantly in the same way she had before, but rather just looking sadly at her hands. Separating her from her father had been difficult, and if she could have brought Fornell home so Emily could be happy, she would have. The thought seemed a little extreme now, but back at the hospital she had given it some serious thought, and that worried her. She wanted Emily to smile again, like she had while they were at the hospital, but taking Tobias home? That was too much.

She was too emotionally attached to Emily, she must be. Even though the young girl had only been with her a day her heart had latched on to her and was unwilling to let go. She didn't want to lose Emily; she was almost like her second chance to be a mother and the young girl looked so similar to how she had imagined Rosie would be. She had just lost her mother, and she had lost her daughter, it was nearly a sign that she should take Emily in. How would she feel when Emily had to go home with Fornell, though? She suddenly found herself wishing she had decided to stay away from Bethesda.

She closed her eyes and swallowed at the sudden tightening in her chest that the thought of how happy Emily had been to see her father instilled in her. Jenny shook her head and unfastened her seatbelt, Emily was not her Rosie and she had another parent to look after her. She would just have to try and put a little distance between herself and Emily, to make it easier to say goodbye when the time came. And it _would_ come; she _knew_ that, so she would need to shield herself from the longing to mother Emily.

Jenny took a deep steadying breath and then got out of the car. She rounded it to Emily's side and unfastened her belt and took her hand, locking the car and walking with her to her front door. Emily looked up at her and smiled and Jenny found herself automatically smiling back. Emily could make her feel as though everything was alright with just one innocent smile, which made it harder to stick to her decision to let her go.

Jenny pulled out her key and unlocked her door, which she had locked for Noemi's protection. She couldn't always hear the door and Jenny's status as head of an armed federal agency was enough of a reason for someone to try and break in. Emily let go of Jenny's hand and ran into the kitchen, presumably to look for Noemi, so Jenny locked the door and used the time she had alone to get an update on the case. She pulled out her phone and dialled Cynthia's personal number, so she would know who was calling her. Her ever punctual assistant picked up on the first ring.

"_Hello Director, what can I do for you?_" she asked politely, her voice not giving away if she had just been working hard or lounging around. That was the sound of a great assistant, Jenny thought proudly.

"Hello Cynthia, I'm just calling for an update on the case that Agent Gibbs was working on. How are things?" she asked, nasty thoughts of huge roadblocks from other Agencies filling her head.

"_Well, according to Abby, who rang me a while ago, all of the fingerprints and DNA samples have been matched to seven guys, though without CID team five, we won't know if they were all the guys that they saw, or if we are missing some. The FBI is chomping at the bit to get the evidence from us and I've had several calls from the Directors of both the FBI and Army CID demanding immediate transfer of the case to them._" Cynthia reported apologetically, knowing that Jenny was being put in a difficult situation. Two Director's fighting over one of her cases was sure to give her a headache, and NCIS couldn't possibly win in a situation like that. If she gave the case to the FBI, CID would hate NCIS and vice-versa if she gave it to CID.

"Ugh, I'm not in the mood for their turf wars, can't they fight it out between themselves?" Jenny griped annoyed at the childish behaviour of the two grown men, who couldn't come to any understanding without her supervision.

"_Apparently they both think they won._" Cynthia laughed and Jenny responded in kind. It was just like the FBI and CID to not accept defeat under any circumstances, and though it gave her more to do by trying to smooth over their ruffled feathers so NCIS could work with them both without stigma, it was still entertaining how pigheaded they could be. "_How is Emily? I heard from Abby that Gibbs thought you were doing a great job with her._" Cynthia asked, and Jenny smiled as she thought of Jethro. She hadn't exactly been nice to him when he had been over last, so hearing that he was praising her was a pleasant surprise. A warm feeling of contentment settled in her stomach and a big joyful smile broke out on her face.

"That was kind of him, considering our last conversation ended in an argument." she admitted to her assistant and friend softly. It was difficult to hide her feelings from Cynthia when she was right there, a witness to whatever state Jethro left her in after a meeting together, or argument. She hadn't confirmed to Cynthia that she had feelings for Jethro, and Cynthia had never asked, but she didn't pretend anymore that she didn't feel anything for him. Cynthia could be counted on to keep her feelings secret, and for that she was very grateful.

"_Yes, but its Gibbs, I think that's how all of his conversations end._" Cynthia said in a conspiratorial tone of voice, laughter bubbling just below the surface.

"Yes, well Emily is fine, I took her to see her father at Bethesda and she really enjoyed it. She did beat up a doctor though." Jenny remarked playfully.

"_She did?_" Cynthia asked, not really believing what she was being told.

"Yep, she stood up for herself and her father. You can tell doctor Mallard that if you like, or I'll bring it up when I see him again." She said smiling, as she wandered from the hall into the kitchen. Emily was up to her eyeballs in flour as Noemi once again attempted to teach her to bake something. Cupcakes most likely, though knowing Noemi it could be anything; she was a very good cook.

"_I'll tell him. Can I assume that conversation ended in an argument, too?_"Cynthia asked, although she could recognise that it was a foregone conclusion. She only called him Doctor Mallard when she was being official, or when she was annoyed with him.

"You are far too observant Cynthia." Jenny conceded.

"_Yes Director._" She replied, her smile evident in her voice.

"If he calls again in the next few minutes, tell the Director of the FBI that I'll call him very soon. Goodbye Cynthia." She said and Cynthia responded in kind.

"_Goodbye Director._" Jenny ended the call and stood watching Emily's antics as she abandoned the mixing spoon and used her hands instead. She laughed when Emily lifted up a blob of mix and then dropped it back in the bowl, some of the mix splashing onto her clothes.

Jenny heard the front door open and close, though no one made their presence known like they normally would. Neither Emily nor Noemi had heard anything, so Jenny slipped out of the kitchen and looked around for the intruder. She had locked the door after she had brought Emily in hadn't she? That meant that someone had picked the lock. Well that narrowed down the list of welcome intruders to just three; Ziva, Jethro and Ducky, yes Ducky. He knew his way around lock picks, something she had been surprised to find out during their time in Europe.

She looked up the stairs and then down the hall towards the study and decided that if anyone broke in, they would be drawn to the homely room, regardless of whether they were thieves or just friends looking for her. She stalked down the corridor and pushed the door open fully, letting out a breath when she saw Jethro in the middle of the room, his back turned to her. She dropped her stealthy façade and walked into the room, watching him carefully. Was he here to start another argument, or to see Emily? Maybe he's just here to see you, her mind said hopefully, and she ruthlessly squashed the voice in self preservation.

He seemed to know she was there; his stance was unusually rigid though, like he was debating with himself whether he should turn around and risk being shot or not. She watched him curiously for a few minutes, wondering what could have made him act so wary around her, when he finally seemed to come to a decision. He turned slowly on the spot and angled his body so he was facing her, though his eyes remained studiously avoiding her. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Why was he acting this way? Had one of the suspects left the country?

Then blue met green as he caught her gaze, and his eyes conveyed a myriad of emotions to her; remorse, confusion, despair, agony, sympathy and a flash of… love. She sucked in a breath as the only possible reason for these emotions penetrated her mind, and tears sprung to her eyes. How could he know? How did he find out? Only she and Ziva knew, surely Ziva wouldn't have betrayed her like that? Agony ripped through her heart and her lungs seemed to freeze, making breathing difficult if not impossible. She shook her head feebly at him, unwilling to accept that he knew, that he had found out about her baby girl's death, but the expression on his face was unmistakeable.

He hadn't said anything to her yet, and she found that she had expected him to shout at her, accuse her of many horrible things and call her names, but he didn't, he just stood there watching her. She should have known better than to expect him to explode in anger at her, this was Jethro, he didn't do that, but she wished he would. His quiet acceptance was more devastating to her than his shouting voice, and though only a few seconds had passed since he had looked into her eyes, she felt like hours of suffering had torn through her.

Her whole body shook as she tried valiantly to suppress her tears, but she was fighting a losing battle. Jethro moved then, he walked right up to her and then stopped, reaching out with a hand to stroke through her hair. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch which she had no right to enjoy. She didn't deserve his kindness when she had kept Rosie from him, but she hadn't been able to tell him, it was too painful.

Tears spilled down her cheeks and he finally pulled her into his embrace, the closest they had been to each other since Paris, since Rosie was conceived, and she felt the moment her control snapped. She threw her arms around him and sobbed, feeling his own tears fall from his eyes onto her. He squeezed her tighter and ran his hands up and down her back soothingly. Through it all, neither of them had spoken a word, because no words were necessary in grief.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to telainoflorien, Twilight Trekky, Hermosagirl3, Huddly, alix33, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, HesMines, babyred1995, MissJayne, YourFavoriteLabPartnerEver and GeorgiaEmerald for reviewing!

When Jethro had picked the lock on Jenny's front door and walked through her house into her study, he had thought that he would find her there working over case files or drinking away her sorrows. He had thought he would shout at her, question her until she spilled everything to him and not let her avoid the issue of Rosie, but she hadn't been there. He had known that she was in the house though, and he'd known that she would have heard the door; he had trained her and knew what she was capable of, so he had decided to wait for her to come to him. When she had entered the room a few moments later, however, he had frozen, and for the second time that day indecision had kept his feet rooted to the ground.

She had stopped just inside the room and he had felt her eyes on him, waiting for him to explain why he had just broken into her house, but he hadn't dared to turn around just then. The fury that had grown inside him since finding out her secret, which had built every second it had taken to get from NCIS to her house, had been clawing to get out, to unleash itself on her, the one that had kept him in the dark about his own flesh and blood, his little girl that he had never seen, never known. He had wanted a reasonable conversation, he had wanted to keep a level head while he interrogated her, but the anger wouldn't go away. It had taken a few minutes to become calm enough to look at her.

When he had finally turned around to her, he had thought he was hiding his feelings, he had thought he was a carefully blank canvas that could fool anyone into believing he was unaffected by recent events. Then he had lifted his eyes to hers, and he knew he was mistaken. She always could read his mind, so his expression and the suppressed emotions that he had been battling with, which were simmering beneath the surface of his gaze, were easy for her to see. She had reacted in horror, mortification and grief, and he'd deflated as his fury ebbed. He'd known he couldn't hurt her anymore than she was hurting herself, and the secret she and Ziva had kept for so long had most certainly caused her agony the like of which he could understand.

As the tears had rolled down her cheeks, she had shaken her head at him, like she was pleading with him to tell her he had no idea why she was reacting like she was, and he'd walked towards her, quickly closing the gap between them until he was right in front of her shaking frame. He had reached up a hand to run through her hair, hoping to soothe her, but even as he had done it he'd known it wasn't enough. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, he'd wanted to stop her pain, even if he was the one causing it, so he had done something he had never allowed himself to do in the last year and a few months; he'd let his barriers down and taken her into his embrace.

That was where he was now, standing in the middle of Jenny's study, her arms thrown around him and her head buried in his chest as she cried. He stroked her back soothingly, his own tears escaping his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. It had been so long since he had had a real hug, and he could feel the restorative effects of holding someone he cared deeply for in his arms. Although Abby threw herself at everyone all of the time, he usually didn't have the time to enjoy the contentment that the simple contact brought, especially since her hugs were quite violent because of her exuberance. Jenny clung to him desperately and he found himself holding her the same way, unwilling to let her out of the circle of his arms ever again.

"I've really missed you, Jenny." he whispered into her hair, the honesty of his statement surprising even him. When he had said that to her, the first day on her new job as Director, he had meant it as a double entendre, to mean what he couldn't say in the workplace in case another employee heard him. He had been quite forward to her, knowing that she wouldn't respond in kind, he had known that it would hurt her to hear his words, but he had thought of it as her just desserts. She had walked out of his life, leaving him with only a letter in a coat, and then walked back in years later expecting him to be fine with her presence. He had to admit that his initial disrespect of her had stemmed from the desire to hurt her, but he had found her again in the process.

His coma and amnesia had set him back to the disrespectful stage and he could see now that what he was doing to her was much worse than anything she had done to him. When she had left, she had made it a clean break; no using him, no cheating, no ignoring and no arguments, but when she had come back he had made her work life hell. He had provoked reporters, countermanded her in front of other Agencies, and flaunted his control over his team by having them ignore her orders to tell her about a case. He belittled her ability to do her job properly and treated her like his probie, even though he had stopped treating her that way when she had become his partner. They had been equals during their Europe mission, which was why they had felt comfortable enough around each other to start up a serious relationship.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered back to him between sobs, and he pressed another kiss in to her hair, letting her know he had heard her. He hadn't thought he would need to hear those words, he was the one who said they were a sign of weakness after all, but it lifted the remaining anger away from him, getting rid of any lingering aggression he felt towards her and he could honestly say that he understood why she had done what she did, and he didn't blame her.

"It's alright Jen. There was nothing you could do." He said to her, but she shook her head aggressively, pulling back from his embrace and wiping her eyes.

"I should have been faster, if I'd gotten there a few moments earlier I could have saved her." she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, a fresh wave of tears spilling from her eyes. "If I had left her with Ziva instead of the NCIS care worker she would never have been kidnapped." She said her voice louder and laced with anger. "I should have sent her to you or Ducky. I should have done something else, something other than what I did!" She said, gesturing with her hands while she spoke, and then she stopped still and dropped her head, hiding her face in her hands. "I should never have taken on that damn case." Her muffled voice escaped from behind her hands.

"What case?" he asked, holding his breath in case his hopes were dashed and she refused to tell him, but he need not have worried. Now that the floodgates were open, her agony laid bare, she had nothing else to hide from him.

"Human trafficking out of and into Cairo. A man came to us, said his young daughter had been kidnapped and the men that took her were going to sell her to the sex trade. He wanted his daughter back so Ziva and I agreed to look into it." she brought her hands down and took a steadying breath. "We found out quite a lot about the 'traders' and then went to see the man, only to find that his daughter was home. They had found out that he had put us on their trail so they offered him a deal he couldn't refuse; his daughter for the location of other white girls." She wiped her eyes again and then looked up at him.

"As you know, white girls go for a lot more money over there, and they knew they could make back the money they would lose by giving him his daughter. He gave them the location of the NCIS day-care where Rosie was, because she was the only white girl he knew of." She shook her head at him and pressed her lips together, holding in a sob until she could continue. "They weren't sex traders; they were men working under the orders of an arms dealer: La Grenouille. They just kidnapped the girl because she found their weapons cache. He thought he would have power over me if they had my daughter, and they were right. They wanted me to look the other way when their arms shipments came in, and when I refused…" she trailed off, her body shaking under the force of her weeping, the consequences of her refusal abundantly clear. "He is laying low because he knows I'm coming for him. He knows he won't continue to escape me!" she said vehemently, her hatred of the man stemming her tears and she looked right into Jethro's eyes. She intended to kill this man, and he found that he didn't want to stop her.

"Does Ziva know what he did?" he asked, thinking back to when he had heard her tell Ducky she had no idea why Jenny was after La Grenouille or what he had to do with anything. Was she lying? It wouldn't be the first time that she had done so in the misguided hope that she was helping.

"No. I didn't want her to get involved in this." Jenny replied, her voice breaking as another wave of grief hit her. Jethro closed the gap between them once again and pulled her back into his arms, pressing a kiss on her forehead. It was incredible to him how much he needed to feel her in his arms right now. Was it the grief that was making him act so clingy? Or was he just reaching out to her and hoping that she wouldn't push him away? He didn't want to know the answer to that question right now; he didn't have the strength at the moment.

"She's already involved, and now so am I." He said, taking her face in his hands so she had no choice but to look at him and see the sincerity in his eyes. She leaned in towards him, and he did too, their foreheads touching and their eyes connected. He needed to be a part of her life, and he could see in her eyes that she felt the same. He smirked slightly and a small smile appeared on her lips. For now they wouldn't act on their feelings, for now they wouldn't mention them. Not until they knew they were real and not just the reaction of holding the same grief. Jethro pulled back slightly and spoke to her, his tone back to business. "I want to know everything you have on this guy." Jenny nodded and then seemed to consider what exactly to tell him. Whatever she saw in his eyes was enough for her, because her next words shocked him.

"He killed my father twelve years ago, blew his brains out in this very room, I know because I found his body. I wanted him behind bars then, but they ruled my father's death as a suicide. A suicide! They ignored the signs that showed it was murder and he walked free. I was close to him yesterday; I just needed Ducky to help me take him out, but…" she trailed off and bit her lip. She hadn't meant to voice the last part but her drive, her need to get this guy showed in her expression.

"But I took him with me to save Emily." Jethro finished for her regretfully, now fully understanding the look on her face when he had guilted her into letting him take Ducky with him. What was it he had said? _Just try and imagine what it would be like for a little girl to see her parents' dead body!_ He cringed at himself, but he knew that there was no way he could have known, and she didn't blame him for it. She shook her head and reached up, holding his chin in her hand and looking deep in his eyes.

"I _let_ you take him. No matter how much I want to see that man dead, I couldn't let another child die." She said softly, making sure he understood what she was saying. "There will be other chances to get him; you and I will be there when the time has come, I promise you." she whispered and he nodded, reaching up to release his jaw from her grasp, and taking her hand in his. He turned her hand over and kissed the back of it, the intimacy of the past few minutes getting to him. He didn't think he was moving too fast, but then she had just promised he would be involved in her future. Maybe it didn't mean the same to her as it did to him, but he wasn't going to lose another loved one if he could help it. His curse was going to come to an end.

Jethro placed her hand on his shoulder and then put his own on her waist, his intentions perfectly clear. He pulled her towards him until their bodies were pressed against each other and then he lowered his head to hers. She wasn't pushing him away, she wanted this just as much as he did and that knowledge made him more sure of his actions.

When his lips were a hairsbreadth away from hers a loud squeal make them jump apart and look at the doorway as Emily streaked into the room, followed by Noemi who was trying to get the spoon smeared with cake mix back from the young girl. The loud giggles and squeals of happiness coming from the little girl as Noemi chased her around Jenny's desk brought a smile to both Jenny and Jethro's faces, especially when Emily hid behind Jethro, no trace of fear in her young grinning face. Jenny met his gaze and reached out, squeezing his hand reassuringly. Later they would see about finishing what they started but right now they would simply enjoy Emily's innocent childish delight.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to alix33, Twilight Trekky, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, MissJayne, black widow mistress and LadyJibbs for reviewing! Also thank you to everyone who has alerted and favourited this story!

Jenny watched as Jethro pulled her closer to his body, and she could feel the heat of him where they touched. His head descended, coming closer to hers, and she watched him, waiting to see if he really meant to kiss her. She didn't want him to do this out of pity, she yearned for him to kiss her because he wanted to, because he still had feelings for her even after all this time. As she gazed into his eyes, which were closer to hers than they had been in nearly a decade, she saw what she was hoping for; the spark. The flicker of love and lust that she alone inspired in him was turning into a glowing ember from their proximity, and it was just waiting for their lips to touch so it could ignite their passion, and so she had her answer. She leaned into him, eager to taste him again, to feel everything about him surrounding her.

Just as her eyes began to drift closed, Emily ran laughing into the study, Noemi following closely behind and the moment was ruined. Emily laughed as she ran, giggling and squealing gleefully every time Noemi missed her, and then she raced over to where she and Jethro were still standing motionless, watching her progress around the room, and Emily hid behind Jethro, content to use him as a shield against Noemi, who wasn't prepared to try and chase her near him. She took a long victory lick of the cake mix and Noemi scowled playfully at her, pretending to covet the goo covering the spoon, making Emily laugh harder.

Jenny didn't mind that Emily had disturbed them all that much, but she was concerned that Jethro might change his mind about becoming closer again, so she reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently and reassuringly, telling him that she hadn't changed her mind, so he had no reason to do so either. He squeezed back and they both happily watched Emily as she ducked under Noemi's outstretched arms and then weaved around the room, dodging the furniture in the study to escape with the cake mix spoon.

Rosie hadn't lived past her second year of life, so she had never baked buns or cakes with her. She had been too small to run around very fast and Jenny had carefully kept all of the cutlery away from her, even spatulas or wooden spoons, but her giggles had been just as loud as Emily's. The young girls' laughter was both a balm to the soul and an irritant to the wound in her heart that would never heal, and Jenny felt the tears run down her cheeks before she realised she was once again crying, and she had to wipe her eyes and walk out of the room before Emily asked her what was wrong. She wouldn't be able to handle the innocent question.

Jenny sat down on the stairs and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in an attempt to regain control of her emotions, to bury Rosie in her mind so she could function around Emily again, but it was proving difficult. Sharing the grief with Jethro had opened the floodgates, and trying to close them on the torrent that was currently pouring through was the most difficult thing she would ever have to do. She had used her hate for La Grenouille to do it the first time, but being near Jethro made her feel less angry and more willing to be calm and reasonable, which was not helping her.

Jethro sat next to her on the stairs, his stealthy walk allowing him to sneak away from Emily and Noemi without them noticing so he could speak to Jenny alone. She hadn't heard him following her, but then Jethro rarely let anyone know he was coming. He put his arm around her and wordlessly drew her in to his side, letting her press her face to his chest while she tried to regain her composure. It was difficult until she breathed in and his scent filled her nose and then weaved itself into her mind, making concentrating on something else surprisingly easy, as long as that something else was him.

For a moment she considered kissing him, but the moment had passed, and she was unwilling to force the issue. If she knew anything about Jethro, it was that he didn't like to be rushed, and she respected that. She didn't want to try to start something yet, while the fact of Rosie's life and death was hanging over them, influencing their decisions. It would be like trying to make a failing marriage work for the sake of the kids, it would be doomed to failure.

"Did you take her to see Tobias?" Jethro asked softly, trying to take her mind off of the baby girl he knew she was seeing in her mind's eye. She smiled into his chest, glad that he knew her so well.

"Hmm, yes. They both enjoyed it, though Emily was reluctant to leave her father's side." She answered, and then something sprang to the forefront of her mind. She winced at the fact she had completely forgotten, then decided now was as good a time as any to ask him. "Oh that reminds me, Fornell is facing a disciplinary tribunal for bringing the case to us, I was wondering if you would be willing to bail him out of trouble by getting in to some yourself." She said hesitantly, knowing that inviting trouble on herself from Gibbs was a bad idea, but hoping that the universal constant of bad luck would recognise that she was doing someone else a favour by asking.

"How much trouble, and why?" Jethro asked warily, running his fingers through her hair absently. Jenny sighed in contentment as she relaxed under the rhythmic stroking, and then she realised he had asked her a question.

"Tobias has been suspended pending the results of the tribunal, if he loses his job… well let's just say he nearing retirement age. Getting another job would be near impossible and Emily is relying on him now more than ever." She said and she felt him nodding.

"Why don't you just offer him a place at NCIS?" he asked lightly, but with a slight edge in his tone so that she knew he was partly serious.

"That's an option, but I'd rather try to help him keep the one that he has at the moment. I'd like you to come with me when I go to see the FBI Director." She said, pulling away from him so she could look into his eyes, so she could convey just how important this was. He smiled at her while he shook his head.

"No, make him come to us. He'll feel too secure in his own office and we need every advantage we can get." He said and Jenny's heart stopped doing the flip-flops it had begun when he had said no, returning to its normal rhythm. She nodded to him.

"I'll see what I can do." She laughed softly, and he gave her shoulder a squeeze before releasing her and drawing out his cell phone, which had begun vibrating.

"Yeah Gibbs." He said, and Jenny watched his face as the person on the other end spoke to him. The one sided conversation only lasting for a few seconds, and then he flipped his cell closed and stood.

"What is it?" she enquired, and he flipped his phone back open, obviously getting ready to call someone else.

"That was dispatch, there's a dead sailor in an abandoned restaurant in Georgetown. Now I'm not on Tobias' case, I assume it's alright to be taking this one?" he asked, his usual gruffness back in place, his barriers coming back up so he could face his team without them asking him silly questions like; 'is something wrong, boss?'.

"You assume correctly, just don't forget about our meeting with the FBI." Jenny replied, standing up from her place on the stairs and walking with him the two or three paces so she could see him out of her house.

"Jen, it's me." He said cheekily, and she bit her lip trying not to grin at his behaviour. She failed.

"Exactly, Jethro." she responded, the smile breaking out on her face as he gave her one last long look and then disappeared through the threshold, closing the door behind him.

Jenny leaned against the closed door for a moment, her eyes closed and her head resting against the wood. It could have been a disaster, him finding out about Rosie, but somehow it hadn't been. Jethro certainly knew how to keep her guessing about his behaviour and how he will react to certain situations. She sighed and pushed away from the door, mustering her veil of hate for La Grenouille so she could control herself better, and then turned to face the study where Emily's laughter still echoed from.

Jenny walked up the hall and into the study, a smile pulling at her lips as she saw Emily sat at the desk pouting, while Noemi waved the spoon at her, having finally retrieved it from her. Jenny walked further into the room and made her presence known.

"Finally caught up with her Noemi?" Jenny asked in amusement, and the faithful housekeeper nodded tiredly.

"Si senora, she is very fast." Noemi said, pointing at the sulking little girl. Emily sat up a little straighter in her chair in response to the praise, but maintained her moping expression. Jenny chuckled at her and then held out her arms to Emily, who jumped off the chair and walked into them.

"And the cake?" Jenny asked Noemi, but it was Emily's muffled voice that responded before Noemi could.

"In the oven, we're waiting 20 minutes for it to get bigger." Emily said, pulling back to look at Jenny, her pout slipping at the thought of the chocolate sponge cake she had been making with Noemi getting even larger. "What was Gibbs doing here?" she asked, her attention switching from one subject to another, like most children seemed to, and Abby.

"He just needed to speak to me about something; he's gone back to work now though." Jenny said, reassuring the young girl that she hadn't scared him off. Emily nodded and then looked up at her thoughtfully.

"You've been crying." Emily stated, reaching up to Jenny's face where the tear tracks could still be seen from where her makeup had run. Jenny cursed herself internally, knowing she should have freshened up before coming to see Emily, but it had slipped her mind. She had been so busy trying to get herself under control that getting rid of the evidence of her break down hadn't entered her head. She smiled and stroked Emily's hair.

"It's nothing to worry about, I just got a little emotional." She told her, smiling for effect. Emily nodded and then ran out of the room, back to the kitchen, Noemi trailing behind and shooting glances at her employer and friend. "I'm fine Noemi." Jenny reassured her and Noemi smiled and then walked out of the room, leaving Jenny to her thoughts and to pull herself together.

She walked out of the study and ran up the stairs, turning into her bedroom and walking into the en suite bathroom. She washed her face and reapplied what little makeup she had put on for the day, thinking about what was going to happen now. She would have to tell Jethro everything about La Grenouille, and that posed a few problems.

Her mission to destroy Rene Benoit, as he was really called, had been going on for so long she didn't know where to start. She could tell him about all of the failures and the close calls, but that might put him off. Maybe she should not tell him… no, that was no longer an option. One thing was for certain though, he would need to be told about the little undercover mission she had sent Tony on, and that might strain their newfound understanding. Although Tony was one of her Agents, Jethro didn't seem to understand that she could give them orders that superseded his. It was one of the points that they argued over the most.

She would tell him everything she decided, and then it would be up to him whether he would stand by what he had said, it would be his choice if he wanted to be involved further. He probably would, but a lot of things had been different between them since his amnesia. Was he still the Jethro she knew and loved? Was he still the Jethro whom she could trust to have her back no matter what?

Jenny lifted her head and looked at herself in the mirror, taking in the tired, strained expression she wore and she knew that she couldn't keep anymore secrets from Jethro. She was tired of spinning countless webs of lies and deception, and maintaining them was more trouble than it was worth, and it was starting to show. She was becoming inconsistent, her desperation to get Benoit was causing her to take more risks and while she didn't want to get anyone hurt, she had viewed it as acceptable damage when something bad had occurred.

She was burying her feelings so deep underneath her hatred that she was losing sight of who she was; the caring woman who had been unable to pull the trigger on so many people. When had she become this cold blooded schemer, this cold, heartless monster? When had she realised that to feel emotions she had to provoke arguments and drink copious amounts of alcohol? She swallowed as tears threatened to spill over her cheeks once again and she took a deep shuddering breath. She pulled out her phone and dialled a number, for a reason that moments ago had seemed unfathomable, but now was inescapable.

"Hello Ducky? I… I think I have a drinking problem…"


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thanks to black widow mistress, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, alix33, itzcheeseball, Twilight Trekky, jstapny and MissJayne for reviewing!

Gibbs walked out of Jenny's house, a smile still playing on his lips. She had been more honest with him today then she had ever been in all of the years he had known her, and not just with what she said to him, but how she responded to him. She hadn't tried to hide the flush in her cheeks when he had touched her, or shouted at him to leave when tears had threatened, she had just accepted that he was there and allowed him in to her confidence, letting him see all of the emotions that she would usually bury.

One thing was for sure; she really hated that frog guy, and if she got the chance, he knew she would kill him. This guy had killed her daughter, _their_ daughter he corrected himself, and that deserved punishment, maybe not murder, but then who was he to judge? He had killed the man who had taken the lives of his first wife and daughter; could he begrudge Jenny her revenge? No, he couldn't, and he found himself wanting to help her however he could. He may never have met Rosie, but she deserved just as much love and justice for her memory as Kelly had.

He wiped the smile off of his face and pushed his thoughts of Rosie, Jenny and the frog to the back of his mind, preparing himself mentally for the crime scene he was about to visit, 'putting his game face on' as certain other Agents would call it. He placed a call to his senior Agent, knowing that Tony would pass the word to the rest of the team as soon as he put the phone down and then he called Ducky, who agreed to meet him at the abandoned restaurant with Jimmy in tow. The drive to the restaurant passed quickly and Gibbs parked his car near the flashing patrol cars and then walked straight up to the man in charge and identified himself.

The man told him all about how a man had decided to surprise his girlfriend by proposing to her in the same restaurant they'd had first date in, and then they had discovered the body. Gibbs nodded and then looked around at the sound of approaching cars. His and the medical examiners vans parked up and the team all filed over the tarmac towards him, with Ducky and Palmer bringing up the rear.

"Traffic was a nightmare boss." Tony said by way of greeting, and McGee rolled his eyes and stood waiting for orders to be issued.

"It would not have been if you had let me drive." Ziva groused to him and he turned to her, glaring slightly, but she stood her ground and stared back.

"I prefer to be the one _investigating_ a crime scene, not being _investigated_." He said hotly, and Ziva nudged him sharply in the side in response to his less than flattering review of her driving skills. Gibbs divided them up and set them to work, before Tony could make some sort of response and then walked away, noting that Ducky was giving him sideward glances. He took it to mean that Ducky wanted to talk with him so he walked over, carefully keeping an eye on his Agents, hoping DiNozzo wouldn't try anything stupid just because McGee looked ill as he watched the maggots crawling over the corpse.

"You want to talk to me Duck?" he said when he caught up to the elderly ME. Ducky nodded and gestured for him to come a little closer, so he could whisper his news. He did so, a patient kind of annoyance running through him. Ducky would have a good reason for all of this cloak and dagger stuff.

"Yes, Jennifer has admitted to me that she believes she has a drinking problem. Whatever you said to her worked, Jethro." Ducky praised him, a wide smile on his face, but Jethro frowned.

"I didn't say anything about her drinking habits Duck, just talked to her about Rosie." He said, a little confused as to how that had come about. How could talking about their daughter bring her drinking problem to light in her mind? She hadn't felt the need to drink when they had spoken about her, not once in the entire time he was there, what else could…? La Grenouille. He was the only other topic they had discussed that could possibly account for her alcoholism.

"Oh, I assumed… oh dear." Ducky muttered, a crestfallen expression taking the place of the happy one he had worn only moments ago.

"What is it Duck?" Gibbs asked slightly worriedly and Ducky looked away, unable to meet his eyes for a moment.

"Well I assumed that talking to you had helped her to open up so I told her to… talk to you more often about what was bothering her. If it is about Rosie than I may have volunteered you for a painful evening." He said regretfully, his happiness completely disappearing almost immediately. Jethro smiled and laid a hand on Ducky's shoulder comfortingly.

"If it is about Rosie, I'll be delighted to hear anything she wants to tell me about my daughter." He said, and Ducky nodded in response to the genuine contentment.

"Well you may wish to start tonight, job willing of course. I'd hate for her to decide she has made a mistake by talking to me while she waits for you to help her confront her problem." Ducky said, his voice and words nudging him in the direction of Jenny's house tonight.

"We'll see, Ducky." Jethro said, shaking his head fondly at his friend and then he turned around, and walked back to his team. It was going to be a long one tonight, but luckily they had nowhere else to be, yet.

* * *

It was night and Tony was finally done with his work, or at least he had managed to get out of work early by sneaking off to pick up his girlfriend. He watched from the bar as his 'girlfriend' Jeanne spoke to someone on the phone, someone who was obviously not getting the message that she didn't want to see him again, and he sighed internally. She was beautiful, smart, funny and sexy, who would want to just give up on her? Certainly not the person who was pestering her and ordinarily DiNozzo would have done the same, until he got her in to bed, but for once he wished that the other guy would take a hike. It could be a serious problem if he didn't, especially if she decided to give the other guy another chance. He had to nip this in the bud or everything he had worked for would unravel.

He winced at his own thoughts, wondering when he had become so unfeeling, so immoral. What he was doing to Jeanne was wrong, he knew that, but what her father was doing was wrong too. His mother had always said that two wrongs don't make a right, so what was he doing here, really? Yes she was a lovely woman and that made it easier for him to become intimate with her, but what damage was he doing to her trust? To her faith in love? To her faith in men in general? He asked the bartender for a drink and knocked it back, hoping the burn would help him to order his thoughts.

He was exhausted, from both the hunt for Emily Fornell and the façade he had to put up for Jeanne, and he was just now realising that he could definitely do the job Jenny had given him, and that scared him. He had always been a good liar, he had used it to his advantage many times, mostly with women, but also to get himself out of trouble and he knew how potent a good lie could be. Jenny had chosen him to do this because she trusted him and his ability to weave fiction with enough truth so that what he said was totally believable.

It was his gift, and it was invaluable in an undercover mission, but he could feel himself losing sight of his job more and more each day as the lies began to build up. He found himself wanting to believe them, to be the man Jeanne thought he was, but then he would get to work and he knew that every moment with her was an act, a perversion of a real relationship and he felt sick at his own actions.

He shook his head and ordered another drink, watching her as she gestured animatedly while she spoke to the man on the phone and he decided that he couldn't o this anymore, he would talk to Jenny tonight and pull out of the mission. What he was doing wasn't that essential, she would bring La Grenouille out of hiding some other way, she didn't need him. He nodded to himself; it was for the best, for everyone involved. He looked up just as Jeanne closed her phone and walked back to him, an apologetic smile on her face and his stomach fluttered in anticipation of her touch. He was in too deep already, he was really falling for her, but even now he knew he wouldn't talk to Jenny. Jeanne loves him, and he loves her. His phone buzzed, not his work phone, the cover phone, and he pulled it out, his brow furrowing at the message written there.

"_Boss is read in on an undercover operation. What film is this? Reply ASAP."_ Tony stared at it for a few moments and then realised that it was from Jenny. She was reading Gibbs in on the operation? Tony sighed and he could almost feel a weight being lifted from his shoulders as he realised he wouldn't have to lie to Gibbs anymore. Then another thought left him cold. Would he have to give up Jeanne?

* * *

Jenny sat on the edge of Emily's bed and tucked her in, placing the book that had been in one of her bags on the bedside table. She had just finished reading 'Beauty and the Beast' and Emily had fallen asleep nearly halfway through. She was out of practice when it came to reading to a child and her voice hadn't been as soothing as she had liked, but it seemed to have done the trick. She had been tired after playing with Noemi and her in the park not far from here after dinner, so the story had really just been the last in the long line of activities that had lulled her to sleep.

Jenny smiled and stood up, making her way quietly out of the room and then closing the door as gently as she could. She pulled out her phone and sent a text message to Tony, in preparation for Jethro's visit later today. Ducky had told her to talk to him, so she planned to, about La Grenouille, Rosie, everything. She closed her eyes as her heart constricted, she missed Rosie, her soul had felt empty when she had looked at the happy families in the park and realised that Emily wasn't going to be here for long. She had no children and she didn't deserve to have any. She was a terrible parent; she had proven that to everyone when Rosie had been taken from her, when she had been killed because she couldn't protect her.

Jenny walked down the stairs and into her study, heading over to the drinks cabinet before she realised what she was doing. She stopped herself from reaching for the bottle, but then grabbed it anyway. Yes, she had a problem, but one drink wasn't going to end the world, and she really needed a drink right now. She picked up a glass and poured a generous amount into it, deciding that the fuller she made it, the less likely she was to have to get up and refill it. It was only one glass after all.

She carried the glass to her desk and sat behind it, taking a good long sip from it and then placing it on the polished wooden surface of her father's desk. She chuckled to herself, thinking of how bad his parenting had been, guessing she got it from him. He had left her with the housekeeper for a long time after her mother had died, was leaving Rosie at the day-care the equivalent of Jenny losing Jethro? Or was she just over thinking in an attempt to blame someone else for her problems?

She downed the last of her Bourbon and stared at the empty glass for a moment before standing up and going to refill it. She poured more into it this time and then sat back down, telling herself that this was the last glass she was having tonight, she did have to go to work in the morning. Why bother though? It wasn't as if she was getting any closer to La Grenouille, just the opposite in fact, he was getting further away. She wasn't doing her father or Rosie any justice by letting him slip through her fingers time and time again. She drank her way through that glass, thinking of all of the times she had been close to getting him, and then failed. It ate away at her on the inside, the constant failures, how he always seemed to escape at the last moment. Maybe she should just give up, it wasn't like he she was any closer to him now than she had been a decade ago.

The next time she got up to refill her glass; she didn't bother to move away, to pretend she wasn't going to end up drinking half the bottle. She just poured some more into the cup, drank it and then refilled it. She was trying to get to her special place, and two glasses later, she was there. Her vision had gone wonky and she was quite certain she was hearing things, but everything else was pleasantly numb. No barriers to keep everything inside, no walls to maintain her emotions and in some cases no emotions. In this state she could feel all of the pain leaking away, all of the anger dispersing and a nice relaxed contentment settled over her. It was a pleasant feeling, and at least now she knew that what she was feeling was real.

"What are you doing, Jen?" a voice asked her and she turned to look for the one who had said it, but lost her balance and fell. Strong arms caught her but not fast enough and they both hit the floor, her head rebounding off of the wood hard, and everything went black.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I only own Rosie!

A.N.: Thank you to alix33, MatteaAM, babyred1995, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, black widow mistress, MissOrlane, Twilight Trekky and MissJayne for reviewing!

Jethro got out of his car and locked the door, pocketing his car keys and looking up at Jenny's house. The lights were off upstairs and most of the ground floor seemed to be dark as well, the only source of illumination was coming from down the hall, which he knew was the study. She was expecting him so he hadn't called ahead, and truthfully he hadn't wanted her to know when he would appear. She would go about her normal routine if she didn't know when he was coming and then he could find out just how much drinking she did and when, only making his presence known when he could get her to look at her actions as she did them.

He headed up the drive to Jenny's front door and knocked loudly, expecting the door to be answered almost immediately; she was just down the hall after all and Noemi was usually still in. He stood outside waiting for two whole minutes, showing his good intention to not just barge in, however there was no sign of movement from within, so he pulled out his picks and worked the lock. The door swung inwards mere moments later and Jethro entered Jenny's home.

The first thing he heard was the tinkle of glass on glass and he closed his eyes in irritation. Either she had purchased a glass chess set, or she was drinking, and given that he had never seen any chess sets in Jenny's house, glass or otherwise, he was inclined to believe the latter. He walked quietly up the hall to the study and stopped in the doorway, leaning back on the doorframe to study exactly what he up against.

Jenny stood at her drinking cabinet, her right side to him and she stared ahead into the mirrored cabinet. At first Jethro thought she was staring at her reflection, but then he realised she wasn't focussing on it, she was looking through it. She swayed slightly on her feet, not a lot; just enough to show that she had drunk more than one glass.

Shaking his head at her he pushed off of the doorframe and walked closer to her, noticing that she hadn't yet realised he was there. What would happen when she did? Would she pretend she had only had one glass? Would she just get angry and tell him to leave? Or would she keep up the openness they had shared earlier today? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"What are you doing, Jen?" he asked her pointedly, and she spun around to face him. Too late he realised that she was much more unsteady on her feet than he had originally thought, and she lost her balance. He started towards her, trying to catch her before she hit the ground but her alcohol relaxed body was a dead weight. He grabbed her mid fall, but his shoulder pulled painfully as the tendons tightened and then protested, the scar tissue from the bullet Ari had put in him not allowing him the full measure of his strength. He went down with her, managing to keep her head away from the desk, but it still hit the ground hard as they landed.

Gibbs grimaced at the discomfort from his shoulder and hip where he had impacted the ground and gingerly sat up; pulling his arm out from under Jenny, about to tell her off for drinking so much, and then he looked at her. She was unconscious and a small pool of blood was beginning to form under her head. Jethro cursed and quickly looked around, hoping to god that Emily wouldn't come down the stairs right now. What would the little girl think if she saw him standing over Jenny's bloody form after what had happened to her mother? He checked to make sure she was breathing, which she was, and then he cursed again and then pulled out his cell phone, dialling Ducky as fast as he could.

"Hey Duck; I need you to come to Jenny's as soon as you can. She fell and hit her head on the floor, its bleeding quite a lot and she's unconscious." He reported the moment the line connected. There was silence for a few seconds and then he heard Ducky sigh.

"I'll be right over Jethro, stem the bleeding but try not to move her until I get there." He told him, his voice calm in the hopes Jethro would stay that way too. The last thing Jenny needed was for him to panic.

"Thanks Duck." He said and then he put his phone away and kneeled down beside Jenny. The head wound was bleeding quite heavily but he wasn't too worried about that, he knew that head wounds generally bleed a lot and consequently look worse than they were. Ducky would sort that out when he got here. No the thing that was worrying Jethro was that she was still unconscious, and he didn't know if she had a concussion yet, though the loud thud her head had made on the floor said it was a very big probability.

He got up and walked briskly to the kitchen where he grabbed a few towels and then strode back to Jenny's side. He knelt by her side and gently rolled her head a little so he could press one of the towels to her wound and then glanced over to the drinks cabinet to see how much she had drunk. He was shocked to see she had nearly had half a bottle, and Bourbon wasn't soft stuff. Sighing, he gently ran his fingers through her short hair, hoping that she would wake up if he touched her, but she didn't. He took the chance to really look at her; she looked tired, like she was in serious need of a good night's sleep, but other than that, she was still as beautiful now as when he had first laid eyes on her.

This obsession with catching La Grenouille was taking its toll on her, but the fact it had gone on for over a decade showed just how strong she was. If he'd had to wait ten years to kill that Mexican drug lord he would have gone crazy, he was sure of it. He didn't know how, but she had managed to keep it together and not only have a child and be a great mom (with an unfortunate and unavoidable end), but she had also climbed the ladder of success right to the top of NCIS. She wasn't alone anymore though, and this burden of revenge was no longer solely hers to bear. He was here for her and together they would destroy this man that had escaped justice for far too long.

Ten minutes later Ducky opened the front door and walked straight into the study, medical bag in hand. Jethro looked up from Jenny, keeping hold of the towel he had pressed to her head, even though he was pretty sure the bleeding had stopped a while ago. It was an excuse to touch her though, and he was taking full advantage of it. Ducky got to his knees and checked her pupil reaction, a faint frown marring his features.

"Was she like this when you got here?" he asked, his voice quiet in case they attracted the attention of Jenny's young house guest. Jethro looked up at Ducky and shook his head.

"No, she was drinking. I startled her and she fell trying to look at me." He admitted, a little embarrassed and angry with himself for causing her to hurt herself. He didn't have to sneak up on people all the time, but he really had thought she was more stable on her feet than she had been. Her falling hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Ah, well now there is no refuting her problem, she will have to face it." Ducky said with a strange mix of sadness, satisfaction and a touch of finality. "Can you pull the towel away please Jethro? Slowly." He instructed and they watched as Jethro slowly pulled the towel away from her head to see if the bleeding had stopped, or if the clot had attached to the material. They breathed a sigh of relief when the towel came away without the clot and the bleeding remained stopped.

"Jethro, can you please lift her as gently as you can? We will need to wait for her to wake up before I can give her the all clear, and that would be best if she were comfortable so she can identify any aches and pains better, but there appears to be no need to go to the hospital." He said quite cheerfully and Jethro looked at her prone form and then at the chairs in the study. While comfortable, she wouldn't be able to lay on them.

"Right, how far am I taking her?" he asked, wondering what the elderly ME had in mind.

"Bed, Jethro, you are taking her to bed." Ducky replied, a small smile on his face until he heard what he himself had just said and he grimaced.

"Well why didn't you say so Duck?" Gibbs said cheekily, a grin on his face at Ducky's sheepish expression and he started down the corridor towards the stairs, barely making out Ducky's mumbled words of consternation. He carried her quickly up the stairs, his shoulder protesting slightly all the way, with Ducky following, watching for Emily. Jethro carried her into her bedroom and placed her on the bed on top of the covers. She didn't even stir while she was being moved, and despite Ducky's diagnosis he found himself worrying about her.

"Do you think she'll have a concussion?" he asked Ducky quietly, turning to look at his friend, who slowly nodded back.

"Almost definitely a minor one, which reminds me, we should probably have a bucket to hand for when she awakens. She'll more than likely be nauseous." He cautioned and Gibbs looked around, spotting the little bedroom bin that she had in here. He picked it up and looked inside; glad to see it was empty. At least he didn't have to take out her trash too.

"Got a bin." He said, holding it up so Ducky could see it.

"Good enough. Is Emily in?" Ducky asked, looking hesitantly down the hall, wondering just how she was faring, since he was sure the noises of the past few minutes had been quite loud. She may have overheard them and been too scared to come and look for Jenny.

"Not seen her, I assume Jenny put her to bed, don't want to creep into her room and risk waking her." Jethro said softly, also aware that Emily hadn't come looking for Jenny at all, though the last time a might visitor had appeared to her he had killed her mother and kidnapped her, so it was feasible she was hiding, but he didn't want to scare her further by sneaking into her room.

"Good point Jethro." Ducky praised, and then their attention was drawn to the bed as Jenny made a small noise of discomfort. "I think she's coming round, is your bin ready?" Ducky asked quickly, and Jethro held it up for him to see yet again.

"Yup." He said and then held it closer to Jenny's head, hoping that if she did throw up, she wouldn't miss. Jenny groaned again and then her body seemed to freeze for a moment. Then they all seemed to move simultaneously as Jenny arched up and to her side, away from Gibbs, so held the bin out to Ducky, who snatched it from his hands and rushed to her other side, just in time to catch her vomit in it. The men sighed in relief, Ducky because he had managed to prevent the carpet from needing cleaning and Jethro because Jenny was finally awake.

* * *

"Thank you." Jenny said weakly and then she slumped back on the bed, bringing both hands up to her head. She held it, signifying she had quite a bad headache and then she felt around at a crusty patch on the side of her head. "Ouch, what happened?" she asked groggily, pulling her hand away from the crustiness and seeing dried blood.

"You fell in your study and hit your head on the floor, remember?" Jethro prompted, watching her face turn from confusion to shame as she recalled the event.

"I was drinking." She said tonelessly, staring up at the ceiling, anger at herself flooding her. She shook her head at herself and then stilled, the action bringing pain to her head and making her feel nauseous. She curled into a sitting position and then threw more of her stomach contents into the bucket that Ducky was silently holding, noting that most of what she brought up was alcohol. What had she eaten today? More importantly, had she eaten today? She couldn't remember and that worried her.

"Thank you." she said again, avoiding looking at them. She knew what they were thinking, that she was an alcoholic whom couldn't take care of herself, that she needed help. She knew they were angry and disappointed with her because she couldn't even drink inside her own home without something going wrong, but what could she do about it? They were watching her closely even now, waiting for her to slip up, to show some sort of weakness that would allow them to stop her from completing her mission to avenge Rosie.

They didn't care that she was suffering inside, that every time she saw a happy couple she thought of what she had lost with Jethro, that when she saw a smiling child she thought of Rosie. They didn't care that she was losing the battle to get La Grenouille, that her daughters and her father's killer was getting further and further away from her every second and there was nothing she could do about it. All they cared about was… well, she couldn't answer that, but it certainly wasn't her.

_That's not true,_ said a soft voice inside her, _they do care about you; you are just stopping yourself from seeing it so you can continue along this path of self destruction_. She shook her head angrily, she knew what they were thinking, she could see it in their eyes. _No, what you see is far from what you are interpreting it as. The alcohol is making you depressed; it's clouding your view of those around you and giving everything a hostile edge_. She exhaled in annoyance at her inner voice, hoping it would shut up and go away, but the words made sense. Hadn't Jethro held her while she had cried only a few hours ago? Hadn't he made her smile and told her he would be by her side in her personal mission?

"Jen, are you ok?" Jethro asked her softly, and she looked at him sharply, expecting to see the judgemental look in his eyes, but they only showed genuine concern for her, making her swallow sharply. She began to nod, but stopped herself and shook her head instead.

"No, I'm not."


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: I can't seem to access my reviews at the moment so I'll have to thank those that reviewed without naming them. Thank you ever so much guys, you know who you are!

Jenny groaned as the pressure in her head became more intense, her concussion and subsequent headache making it difficult to keep track of what was being said around her. She blinked hard, a wave of dizziness making her head spin and her stomach tighten, leaving her only a few seconds to roll over and throw up into the bin that she was now able to hold for herself. She closed her eyes again once she had finished, hoping to pacify the headache, but it persisted.

She groaned in annoyance and pain before she could stop herself and then fell silent, knowing that both Ducky and Jethro were probably looking at her in a less than sympathetic way. She had brought this upon herself after all, but she really hadn't meant to let it go this far. She wasn't self destructive, she was just angry at her inability to save her loved ones, afraid that their murderer would get away and maybe a little depressed. She opened her eyes hesitantly to prove to herself that she was right about their feelings towards her, but the room spun and she lurched towards the bin again, avoiding their gazes.

"I know I have a problem, you don't need to glare at me like I'm six." She groused once she had caught her breath. Ducky frowned at her words.

"We aren't Jennifer; we just want to make sure you are ok." He said soothingly, but that just made her angrier. Didn't he listen to her?

"I've already told you I'm not." She snapped, her headache taking away the last vestige of patience that she possessed. She glared up at the elderly ME, then switched to glaring at Jethro, which was much more satisfying for some reason.

"Why aren't you though? Why do you feel the need to drink?" Ducky asked, almost innocently, but Jenny smiled at him knowingly. He was trying to psychoanalyse her with his new psychology skills, and to make her discover why she drank, but that was something she already knew. She had identified why she felt the need to drink long before she had even suspected that she was getting addicted to the alcohol.

"That's exactly it." she replied, somewhat ambiguously. She didn't mean to sound so vague, but he had already answered his own question.

"I beg your pardon?" Ducky asked, confused by her answer. He looked to Jethro to see if he understood better or if he had missed something. Jenny watched Jethro nod slowly, understanding in his eyes. He thought he knew how she felt, but he couldn't possibly. He hadn't been there through the years, suffering set back after set back, getting so close to revenge only to have it snatched away again. He had never had to live with the knowledge that he was the reason his child was dead.

She bit her tongue, stemming her thoughts. He knew very well what she was going through, though to a lesser extent, and she should be more mindful of that. Rosie was his daughter too, and he had lost both of his children. She softened her gaze as her anger deflated, and she felt the embarrassment she had hoped she wouldn't feel come rushing in. she looked up at Jethro as he took a breath to answer Ducky's question, hoping that he would actually understand what she had said, he _must_ do.

* * *

"_To_ feel, Duck." Jethro supplied, watching Jenny carefully as she looked at him, her eyes connecting with his, pleading for him to understand, and he did. After Shannon and Kelly's deaths he had turned to alcohol as a way to feel things, the shock and pain of losing both of the most important people in his life leaving him numb and cold inside. The difference between him and Jenny was that the gun he had held in his other hand had been pointed at himself.

He hadn't had to wait to get revenge, he had followed the murderer practically to his doorstep and killed him; but the agony of his loss had been so raw that the alcohol had seemed like the only way out, until he had glimpsed his gun hanging demurely from its holster. Sitting on the beach with bottles at his feet and his gun in his hands he had felt that his life had never been so black and white. Die and be with them, or live in agony without them.

He had been more than prepared to pull that trigger, but the thing that stopped him, the one thing that should have destroyed him but didn't, was the innocent laughter of a little girl as she rode a horse along the beach. He had turned away from his gun to shield her innocent eyes from the horror of the real world. He had gotten unsteadily to his feet and walked away from the beach, walking for hours until he wound up at NIS, stumbling into the Agent that had given him the strength to avenge his family. Mike had taken him home, removed the ammo from his gun and asked no questions.

Since that day he had rebuilt his sorry excuse for a life, several times, without slipping into the grip of alcoholism. Admittedly it was partly because he had begun to seek pleasure from women more often than the bottle, an easy weaning for something that felt so good and only cost him takeaway, but he had done it, and so could Jenny.

"I have to get back home Jethro. Mother was still up watching reruns of WWE when I left, but I fear she may have gotten to the end of them by now. I must put her to bed soon or she won't be up in time for the care worker tomorrow." He said apologetically, and Gibbs nodded. "Jennifer should be fine, just make sure she stays in bed, drinks some water and gets a bite to eat. Don't keep her up all night either, Jethro." he ordered quietly, making Jethro smother a grin.

"Alright Duck. 'Night." he said, waving him out.

"Goodnight Jethro, Jennifer." Ducky said waving to them and quickly setting off for home. Jethro waited where he was, staying silent until he heard the front door open and then close, and then he looked back up at Jenny, who was watching him carefully. For a few minutes the silence stretched out between them, neither willing to say the first word, but both having something to say, then Jethro opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sharp sound of Jenny's message alert on her cell phone.

* * *

Jenny reached around and pulled her phone out of her pocket, looking at the screen curiously. She wasn't expecting a message was she? Her eyes widened momentarily when she read the ID and she flicked her phone open to read it. It was from Tony.

_Want me to be there?_ It read, and Jenny pursed her lips, considering. She didn't particularly need moral support, Jethro had wanted in on catching La Grenouille, but waiting for Tony to join them would give her time to get her headache under control, and it would put off telling Jethro just how obsessed she was with catching this man.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked, and Jenny looked up from the message a little too sharply, making the room spin for a moment, ready to tell him it was nothing, but then she realised why bother? _In for a penny, in for a pound_, as the saying goes, it was all going to come out now so why wait?

"It's from Tony." She said carefully, watching Jethro for a reaction. His eyes narrowed slightly and she nearly laughed at herself. Of course he had realised that DiNozzo's sudden interest in a long-term domestic relationship wasn't his own idea, did she really think he couldn't figure that out? "In my study on my desk is a folder, could you bring it up here please?" she asked him gently, and he swiftly got to his feet, swept down the stairs and was back up in a matter of seconds. Jenny smiled at him; he could still impress her with his speed and stealth, even at his age. Such things must be so deeply ingrained it's become part of his genetic makeup.

"Here. Now what is this about?" he asked, somewhat impatiently. Jenny took deep, steadying breath and opened the file, pushing it towards him so he could read it.

"This is the folder that details all of my dealings with La Grenouille and his organisation. The most recent operation in that folder involves Tony." She said as matter-of-factly as she could. Gibbs eyes snapped to hers as he realised what exactly she was telling him.

"You mean that girl he's seeing is part of La Grenouille's organisation?" he asked, barely containing his shock as he realised that she had put a member of his team in the firing line. Jenny swallowed nervously and then quashed the quivering in her stomach. She had done what she had to do; he would understand when he knew how close Tony was getting them to La Grenouille. He _would_ understand.

"Not quite. She's his daughter." She answered. "He is posing as her boyfriend in the hopes that La Grenouille will want to check him out, try and scare him away from her. He-" Gibbs cut her off suddenly, his voice confused and yet calm, like he was working through his own confusion by saying what he didn't understand out loud.

"Wait. Scare him away? Check him out? You make it sound like this daughter won't check him out herself and report her findings to… she doesn't know." he concluded, a strange look in his eyes.

"No she doesn't." Jenny admitted, averting her eyes for a moment.

"You are using an innocent girl to get to her father?" Jethro asked, shocked deeply by how far she was going to get this guy. Jenny looked back at him, her jaw set angrily.

"Don't do that. Don't make out that I'm the only person who uses innocents to get to the guilty, it happens all the time and you've used the same trick yourself. Sleeping with someone to get information out of them is just as bad as what I'm having Tony do." She seethed at him, hating how the angrier she got, the calmer he became.

"No it's not. You are making that girl fall in love with him." he retorted and Jenny felt herself snap.

"I can't _make_ her fall in love with him, any more than I could make you love me!" she shouted furiously, throwing her phone at him sharply. He caught the phone and let out a long sigh. He looked at the cell and reached out, placing it back in her hands. He gently wrapped his fingers around hers, holding the phone with her and curling her arm up so their hands rested against her heart. She bit her lip hard to stop herself from asking him to say it, but she wouldn't have been able to force any words past the lump in her throat anyway.

"You've made your point, but do you see mine?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Jenny nodded and blinked back tears. She felt so confused; her missions were justified, using no irregular methods that haven't been tried before but with just a few words Jethro could make her see the things she was doing from a less than flattering light. Was she doing the right thing, or the wrong thing? Were her methods too extreme or not extreme enough? Was the only way for her to catch La Grenouille so awful that it was going to cause her to lose herself in the process?


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to alix33, itzcheeseball, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, jstapny, black widow mistress, Twilight Trekky and MissJayne for reviewing!

A.N.2: jstapny, I looked up epidural haematomas and I was just too scared to include it in this story, the risk factor (of death) was too high for Jenny and then Emily would have to have been moved somewhere else. It was worrying reading how I had written her reaction to waking up after unconsciousness and then reading the information on the haematoma though, very worrying.

* * *

Tony glanced again at his phone, wondering what was taking Jenny so long to respond. She had contacted him first about this mission; surely she wouldn't ignore his need to be included in any and all discussions about it, would she? He was the one putting his life on the line here, even if at the moment he was temporarily off of La Grenouille's radar. The nature of the mission meant both he and his cover, which was not made to stave off any in depth examination, would soon be under intense scrutiny; he should be the first to know about any changes to the mission.

He looked over at Jeanne's sleeping form, his emotions torn between guilt over his deception and fear over the moment when she would find out he wasn't who he was pretending to be. She _would_ find out, Jenny had assured him of that when he had taken the mission, but in his arrogance, he hadn't thought it would matter to him. He had just been in it for the novelty of a serious undercover mission, the circumstances of which were new to him. The importance of the mission, and how much respect he would gain from his team mates for completing it, had blinded him to the very real danger he was in, not from bullets flying through the air, but from the woman worming her way into his heart.

He flicked his cell phone closed and tossed it on the couch next to him, returning to bed for the moment to revel in the closeness he shared with Jeanne, the only woman to make him feel this way. Whatever this had begun as, it had turned into something special, a real love, something he had subconsciously desired for a long time, but his mind had overridden his subconscious and he had spent his time turning himself into the shallowest of creatures in an attempt to stave off dangerous thoughts like commitment and family. Jeanne made him want those things though, she ignited a need inside him he hadn't thought he was capable of, and that scared him.

He loved Jeanne, but the more he realised that, the harder it became to go to work, knowing that someone there was just as important to him, if not more. Even though he was keeping his relationship with Jeanne as quiet as he could at work, people were noticing his uncharacteristic behaviour, and they were getting worried. Ziva watched him at work like a hawk, the wrist band from the hospital giving her undue cause to worry for him. She hadn't figured out that he wasn't sick yet, that he was just dating a doctor, perhaps she just didn't want to, but when she did he would have to resist her interrogation technique, to keep the mission safe.

He sighed heavily and snuggled further up with Jeanne. He hated the secrets he had to keep, it almost felt like his life was one huge lie, but it had to be done. It hurt him to do it, and he knew it would hurt the others to find out, but he hoped they would forgive him. He had no choice, only Jenny could give him permission to talk about it, and she was dead set on keeping to Gibbs Rule Number Four. He was a little shocked that she was suddenly letting Gibbs in on it, but if it gave him another person to talk to, he didn't mind being kept out of the loop. He closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, hoping that by morning he would be in Jenny's office, being told what the hell was going on.

* * *

Jenny opened her eyes hesitantly, the light from the window temporarily dazzling her, making her squeeze them shut again and roll over on to her stomach. Her headache had dissipated during the night, so she didn't feel hung over, but light sensitivity seemed to be in full force. It was a miserable day outside by the sounds of it, the rain pelted the window, and the wind whistled outside her home. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet though, so she silently promised herself she wasn't getting up until it did. She spent too much time at work as it was; the last thing she wanted to do was to get in early.

The scent of coffee wafted towards her and she took an involuntary deep breath, savouring the delightful smell. The scent alone seemed to be conspiring to wake her fully from her dozing, which was the last thing she wanted right now, so she groaned and then snuggled further into her pillow, throwing one arm over the side of her face in an attempt to block everything out. When her arm connected with her head though she cringed, pain lancing through her and she recoiled, pulling her head off of the pillow and sitting halfway up.

She looked around the room groggily, her bleary eyes narrowing when they landed on the figure of a man by her bed. She blinked away the blurring, fighting the light to keep her eyes open until she focussed on him, already knowing who it was, but the confirmation was comforting. Jethro watched her carefully, bringing his mug of coffee slowly to his lips and then setting it down on her bedside table next to another steaming mug.

"Is your head still hurting?" he asked lowly, in case she was badly hung over, but she smiled and shrugged, holding her quilt up around her shoulders to ward off the chill in the room.

"No, well only if I touch it, the headache is gone." She answered him softly, running a hand through her messy hair. She winced when she encountered the knots that sleep and the crusty blood had left in her hair.

"Good. I got some coffee for you here." He said in a normal conversational tone, lifting the mug from her table and proffering it to her. She smiled at him and wrapped her cold hands around the mug, absorbing the heat it emitted gratefully.

"Thank you, Jethro. How long have you been sitting there?" she asked, hoping that he hadn't been there long. Ducky had spoken to him before he had left, had he told him to watch her through the night? That thought left an uncomfortable guilty feeling in her stomach, and she lowered her eyes to his person, in an attempt to guess if he had gotten any sleep. His clothes were wrinkled, but he hadn't laid down anywhere, that was for certain.

"A while." He answered vaguely and her stomach plummeted.

"Did you get _any_ sleep?" she whispered aghast, and he inclined his head to pacify her.

"Some, but I woke up with my neck in a bad position." He admitted, patting the bed in front of him. Jenny shook her head at him fondly.

"Jethro you could have shared the bed with me." She said gently, taking a sip of the hot beverage in her hands. He stayed quiet, an amused smile on his face and she chuckled at him. "Seriously, I can keep my hands to myself. I promise you." she told him, barely constrained laughter forcing its way out in her tone as he crossed his arms and nodded sagely. She shook her head and drank some more, revelling in the path the heat traced as she drank it, warming her from the inside out.

"I'm fine; I have less sleep at home most nights." He said, watching her wrap her quilt more securely around herself. "I'll go turn the heating on." He said, getting up from beside her bed and walking out into the corridor. The moment he did so a sharp high pitched scream erupted from the hallway, so Jenny placed her coffee on the table and dashed out into the corridor as quickly as she could.

Emily was pressed back against the wall, her hands covering her eyes so she couldn't see and Jethro was trying to calm her down, but nothing he said seemed to work. Jenny rushed forwards and wrapped her arms around Emily, stroking her hair soothingly and silently asking Jethro to back away with her eyes. He did so reluctantly, not really knowing what he had done wrong and Jenny helped Emily to calm down.

"I left the room just as she was about to walk in. I guess she wasn't expecting me to leave your room and I scared her." he said apologetically, and Jenny smiled comfortingly at him.

"It's not your fault Jethro." she said softly, and then she turned her attention back to Emily. "Emily sweetheart, it's alright, you can open your eyes. It's just Jethro, you aren't afraid of Jethro are you?" she asked gently, brushing away the young girls tears. Emily opened her eyes and looked past Jenny, confirming what was being said to her. She shook her head, flushing with embarrassment at her reaction to him and then hid herself in Jenny's arms. "Were you coming to see me?" Jenny asked her softly, and Emily nodded, and then huffed in frustration, beginning to anger herself with her fear. Emily looked over at Gibbs, seeing him floundering on the sidelines and she felt bad for screaming at him.

* * *

"I'm sorry Uncle Gibbs. I don't know what's wrong with me." She said, breaking down in to tears once again. He moved closer to her slowly so he didn't startle her, careful to make a certain amount of noise after scaring Jenny last night.

"It's perfectly fine Emily. After what you have been through, I'd be more worried if you didn't react at all." He said gently.

"Why?" she asked, innocently peering out from Jenny's arms.

"It would mean there was something wrong with you mentally, but you _are_ reacting, which means there is _nothing_ wrong with you." he said, kneeling on the floor in front of her. She looked at him a little sceptically, narrowing her eyes slightly and he nearly laughed. That look was pure Diane.

"Really?" she asked him, and he smiled and nodded.

"Really." He confirmed and then got up from the floor and pointed over his shoulder. "I'll go turn the heating on now." He smiled at Emily and caught Jenny's eye before turning and disappearing down the stairs.

Jethro walked into the kitchen and sighed tiredly. It had been a long night, but he had kept his vigil over Jenny just in case problems should arise. He realised that Ducky thought she was fine, but he wasn't sure. He had been wary of leaving her alone in case she had just gone back down the stairs to drink some more. When he had finally allowed his eyes to close he had purposefully slept in a bad position to increase his chances of waking up early, so he could set himself at ease and watch her sleep.

She'd had a rough night, tossing and turning and muttering in some sort of nightmare, and when she had finally awoken she had thrown her arms around him and cried herself back to sleep. It was evident this morning that she didn't recall the nightmare or waking up, and he found himself wondering if this was a regular occurrence. It would certainly help to explain how tired she seemed even though Noemi had told him she goes to bed at a decent hour every night. He sighed and flicked on the heating, thinking about both Jenny and Emily.

It wasn't just Jenny he was worried about, it was Emily too. It had been difficult seeing Emily like that, he had known her since she was a small child. When Diane had started to show her true colours, Tobias had begun to bring the baby around to see him just to spite her. Jethro had watched in envy as his friend had raised his daughter, who had always looked so surprisingly like Kelly it had hurt. Watching her recoil from him, scream even, had been hard to bear but damage like this didn't disappear overnight. She was doing remarkably well for one so young, but even the slightest set back could be devastating to her.

He was trying to limit the amount of contact he had with her so he didn't negatively impact her recovery, but accidents like bumping into her in the corridor were unavoidable. He was glad she was beginning to talk to him though, that was a step in the right direction and hopefully it signified that she was coming to terms with what had happened. He sighed again and wondered if Tobias had sorted out Diane's funeral yet. He could help him with that at the very least. He nodded to himself and set off back up the stairs, hearing a beeping noise coming from Jenny's bedroom. It was her alarm clock, which meant it was nearly time for work.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to alix33, itzcheeseball, Twilight Trekky, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, jstapny, black widow mistress, MissJayne and HesMines for reviewing!

A.N.2: Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday, I'm in the process of moving in with my boyfriend so things are a little hectic. :)

* * *

Jenny watched Jethro walk down the stairs and then looked back at Emily, happy to see that she had stopped crying and was attempting to stop her hands from shaking. Jenny pulled her into another hug and then smoothed her hair back soothingly. Emily sniffled and wiped her eyes, huffing in irritation at herself and turning her sad eyes to the stairs. Jenny's heart tugged, Emily knew that Gibbs didn't want to hurt her, but she couldn't help her automatic response when she saw any tall man.

"Are you alright, Emily?" Jenny asked her softly, and the little girl glanced up at her and then nodded determinedly. Jenny smiled in response to Emily's bravery. "What did you want to see me for?"

"I just wondered if I could use your shower and stuff. Mine must still be at home." Emily mumbled shyly and Jenny mentally slapped herself. Of course, she had let her use her own shampoo and shower gel before, buying Emily some of her own had completely slipped her mind. She made a mental note to ask Noemi to get some later today.

"Of course you can, isn't there any in the guest bathroom?" she asked and Emily shook her head. Jenny offered her one of her hands, which the little girl took readily, and then led her into her bedroom and through to her bathroom. Jenny picked up some things, including a few towels, and then led Emily back out and down the hall to the guestroom where Emily was staying. She walked through to the bathroom and stored everything away, glad to see that while it wasn't used very often, Noemi had kept it clean.

"Thank you Jenny." Emily said happily and Jenny smiled and then left her to it. She walked back down the corridor and into her own room, where she rummaged through her wardrobe for the outfit she was going to wear today. She laid it out on her bed and then walked into her bathroom, closing the door behind her and activating the shower.

While it warmed up she stripped off yesterdays outfit and shoved it into her laundry basket, grimacing at the small blood stain on her shirt. There must have been quite a lot of blood for it to have soaked into her clothes. She carefully separated some of the stuck together strands of her hair, wincing when it pulled on her head injury and then she gave up, hoping that the water would sort it out rather than make it worse.

Once she was satisfied with the temperature that the water had reached, she stepped under the spray and sighed happily as the steady stream worked its magic on her skin. She could feel it soothing away her stress and tension, and after a few moments of bliss she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and stuck her head under. It stung sharply and the water running down her body turned red as her hair gave up its hold on the blood that it had soaked up, but she resolutely massaged it gently until it ran clear.

The pain should serve as a reminder not to drink herself into a stupor again, but a small part of her mind told her that she would have been fine if Jethro hadn't snuck up on her. She had gotten drunk before and she had never had an accident like last nights, the only new factor was Jethro's presence. She should be annoyed with him for making her get hurt and then telling her that it was the drinks fault. She opened her eyes and stared at the tiles in front of her, willing herself to stay calm as she felt the beginnings of anger swirling in the pit of her stomach.

It wasn't Jethro's fault, why would she think that? Since when had she started blaming others for her problems? Just like that the other times she had been angry with and unfair to others popped into her mind and she closed her eyes again as shame, embarrassment and self-loathing suffused her mind and body. She had been devoid of happy feelings for so long that she had begun to resent the people around her, making her colder and even more distant.

She had put on a good act in the beginning and inserted herself into NCIS headquarters relatively easily. They had all been grieving for Kate at the time, so they had taken the change in their stride. Her familiarity with both Gibbs and Ducky had made her more of a curiosity than a threat, as Ziva had been perceived. She had worked hard to cement her place as Director in the minds of not only her Agency, but the public as well, and that had given her hardly any time to think about her loss.

She was secure now, she didn't have to prove herself anymore and that left her with ample time to torture herself with memories of Rosie, of her warm, dead body lying limply in her arms. With memories of her father, of finding his corpse just downstairs in the study, and of the authorities declaring what was so obviously a murder, a suicide. Of La Grenouille, the one behind both deaths, the one who had taken them from her and was still free. She shook off her thoughts, washed her hair and then turned the shower off. She stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself as she did so and wandered out of the bathroom in time to see Jethro turning her alarm off. Oddly enough she hadn't heard it while she was showering.

He stood up and turned around, looking at her at first as he would ordinarily, but then he did a double take, his eyes giving away just how appreciative he was of what he was seeing, reminding her that she was dripping wet and covered only by a towel. She blushed as he openly stared for what felt like minutes, but in reality was more like a few seconds. She smiled, her stomach tightening in response to his rather heated gaze which travelled up her towel clad body to her face, where their eyes connected, the full force of the mounting awareness and excitement hitting them.

He moved across the floor with an almost predatory grace, coming to a stop directly before her, his hands reaching up as if he was going to frame her face, but instead they hovered barely an inch from her skin. Despite the distance she could feel their warmth, her own hands longing to place his on her, but as of yet unwilling to relinquish their hold on her towel. She wanted him to kiss her as she was sure he wanted to, but a tiny voice held her back. Now was not the time to make something between them, it was too risky.

Jethro regained his control of himself with some obvious difficulty and cleared his throat, looking away from her discreetly and she lowered her gaze to floor. She worked hard telling herself that it wasn't a rejection, she had been unwilling to go ahead with the natural conclusion as well, but for some reason her emotions wouldn't stay linear. She moved past him and scooped up her clothes, carefully holding them away from her wet body while still holding the towel together, and then she walked back into the bathroom and closed the door.

She dropped her clothes and leaned back against the door, squeezing her eyes closed and taking a deep breath. Why hadn't she just kissed him? It was what they both _obviously_ wanted and they were two consenting adults with a romantic history. What was holding her back? The answer; she knew herself and apparently he did too. She had a serious problem, one that could be devastating not only to her health but to her career, and it was only a matter of time before she began blaming other people for it.

She shook her head slowly, she was already doing it, had been in fact during her shower. It would be safer for their newfound understanding if they had no romantic liaisons until her problem was over and done with, then she could back him into a corner and…

A tentative knock on the door pulled her from her pleasant musings and she called out to whoever it was to give her a minute while she dressed in record timing. Jenny opened the door and looked out, watching as Emily investigated her pillow. Unsure about what Emily could possibly be doing, Jenny walked over to her and gently called out to her.

"Emily, are you alright?" she enquired, and the little girl flinched, pulling her hand back as if she had been burned and spun around, her eyes wide with fright. Jenny kneeled down beside her and gently pulled her towards her, her own fear escalating as Emily hugged herself and reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled into Jenny's embrace. "Emily, honey, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked, attempting to see what Emily had been looking at. When she did so, her heart contracted.

Emily had been touching where her head injury had bled and rubbed onto her pillow during the night. Jenny sighed softly and lifted Emily into her arms, stood up and walked out of her room and down the stairs. She needed to get away from the blood, from anything that would scare Emily. She wondered if her study was still a mess but dismissed the thought of looking just in case. She carried Emily to the kitchen, where Jethro was flipping pancakes, and set her down on one of the chairs.

Emily had closed her eyes tightly during transit and her little hands were curled into fists. She sat as rigid as a statue and Jenny reached out to stroke her hair, but her hand was caught during the movement by Jethro. Jenny looked up at him questioningly, a little annoyed by his intrusion, but he merely shook his head and pulled her away. She pulled her arm away when he had pulled her to a safe distance and glared at him.

"What was that for?" she fumed at him, angry that he thought he could just drag her around in her own house.

"She's in shock; she doesn't need any external stimuli to overload her right now." he answered, his voice more hushed than hers, making her wince at the thought of how loud she must have been. "What happened? She was fine when I passed her a moment ago." He said, glancing over to Emily, concern radiating from him.

"I was getting dressed in the bathroom and when I came out she was looking at my pillow." She explained guiltily, looking over at the immobile young girl.

"I should have thought of that." Jethro groaned, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. Jenny shook her head at him and placed a small hand on his chest soothingly.

"_I_ should have thought of that, it's my pillow, my blood and my fault. You're tired, you can't be expected to think of everything, whereas I am fully rested and was lying on that pillow up until about half an hour ago." She told him, smiling self depreciatingly. She really should have done something about that pillow, she should, but what is done is done. "Is she ok?"

"Not yet, but I have an idea." Jethro said, quickly flicking on the kettle and busying himself with a mug. Less than a minute later he carefully approached Emily and placed the steaming mug of tea on the table in front of her, then retreated to stand back with Jenny. They watched for a few minutes as nothing happened, then one of Emily's hands snaked out and snagged the mug, the other following quickly, wrapping around it and just holding it as her fingers soaked up the heat.

It almost seemed like they were watching her defrost. She steadily drew the cup nearer to herself and then took a sip, the hot liquid opening the flood gates and she let go of the cup and turned, seeking Jenny as her lip quivered and the tears poured down her face. Jenny moved swiftly to her side and scooped her up, hugging the sobbing child to herself and gently swaying from side to side in a parents' soothing, time-honoured dance. Jethro watched contentedly as the crisis passed, for now.

* * *

A.N.3: Please don't think they were neglecting her at the end; she just didn't need to be crowded at that moment. I thought it was better for everyone if Emily reached out first.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to itzcheeseball, Twilight Trekky, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, babyred1995, black widow mistress, alix33, MissJayne, HesMines and jstapny for reviewing! *Sap alert!* ;)

Jethro moved back to the cooker top and put the pancakes back on the heat, hoping that they weren't ruined. He wouldn't mind making another batch but it would take a while longer than he was hoping to take. He was already late for work and was surprised that no member of his team had tried to call him yet. They were probably drawing straws, or expecting him to sweep into the squad room as soon as they dialled his number. He chuckled to himself at thought of the looks on their faces whenever he did something like that. They never seemed to learn either, or at least Tony didn't.

He flipped the pancakes and shot a look over his shoulder at Jenny and Emily, relaxing slightly at the sight of Emily tucking her head under Jenny's chin, and hugging her for all she was worth. Jenny's rocking movements soothed her and her eyes drifted closed as, for the moment, she could ignore the demons that wouldn't leave her alone. Jenny's arms tightened around the little girl and her own eyes closed in contentment, her motions becoming slower and more relaxing. His heart gave a tug at the unexpected knowledge that this was how she used to calm Rosie, that if circumstances had been different, Jenny could have been holding their daughter right now. He shook his head at himself, thinking of 'what ifs' would only depress him. It was Emily in her arms, not Rosie.

Emily was a strong willed girl, she would overcome this and hopefully it would only make her stronger. He was still worried for her though; psychological damage like hers could lead to all sorts of problems later in life, the least threatening being that she would never trust anyone again, and the worst being that she would develop sociopathic tendencies. That was something no one would wish upon anyone but they couldn't make her better, only Emily could do that. The best they could hope to do was to help her deal with the trauma and make her environment as stable as possible.

He shook off images of a grown up Emily being brought into interrogation for aggravated assault or murder, the very thought making him sick to his stomach. He put the pancakes on a plate and resolutely squeezed lots of maple syrup over them, imagining the sugary delight would stave off any memories of her kidnapping and help her to feel happier.

He picked up the plate and brought it to the table, placing it next to the cup of tea, the scent drifting up to the hungry eight year old. Emily opened her eyes and turned to glance at the plate, deciding that it was worth letting go of Jenny for. Jenny released her when her small voice cut through the silence of the kitchen.

"Jenny? Could I get down? I'm hungry." She asked softly, looking up at Jenny with huge tearstained eyes. Jethro grunted in amusement; like Jenny could say no to that. He watched as a smile spread over Jenny's face as Emily spoke to her, her anxiety over the young girl's silence dispelled, and she nodded dumbly, unable to form words. She set Emily on her feet and they watched as she sat down, squeezing Jenny's hand once before letting go of it and digging into her plate of syrupy pancakes.

Jenny watched for a few more moments before turning to look at him and he smirked at her, his own happiness over his working methods showing through. She shook her head in amusement and then approached the counter next to him, pulling off a large wad of kitchen roll and then bending down and rummaging in the cupboard beneath it, withdrawing with some surface cleaner.

"I'll be in the study." She said to him wiggling the spray bottle and he nodded, pointing at Emily's back.

"I'll be watching over Emily." he said back and she smiled and then walked out of the kitchen. Jethro watched her go and then poured himself a hot cup of coffee, cradling the mug in his hands. He had thought about cleaning up the blood in the study last night, but in all fairness if he did that then it was as good as saying that her actions didn't matter, that they would disappear with the morning light just as her blood would. He wanted her to be aware that her actions have consequences for not only herself, but those around her.

Emily's reaction to seeing her blood, while shocking and worrying even him, should have highlighted the danger of Jenny's addiction in a completely new light, one that she can't ignore, in a way that her own maternal instincts won't let her forget. He hadn't planned for Emily to see her blood, he wouldn't gamble with her sanity like that, but it was going to help Jenny face this problem and hopefully Emily would face hers too. He just wished he could help them. He didn't enjoy sitting on the sidelines while those he cared for were hurt, whether they were doing it to themselves or not.

Emily put her fork down on her plate and pulled the cup of tea towards her, taking an experimental taste to gauge the temperature of the liquid. Once she was satisfied it was still hot enough to drink she took a deep, long swallow and then set it down, shuddering a little as it turned out to be colder than she had thought. She stuck her tongue out and looked around, catching sight of Gibbs. She smiled and jumped off her chair, picking up the plate and the cup and carrying it over to the sink.

"Thank you Gibbs, that was really nice." She said gesturing to the plate. He inclined his head grateful of her praise and lifted the pan slightly.

"Do you want some more?" he enquired slyly and she giggled, rubbing her stomach appreciatively.

"I'm stuffed. If I eat anymore I'll burst!" she giggled, pouring the remnants of her tea down the sink. He watched the liquid disappear and decided that since it seemed to work so well she should probably have one to carry with her for a while.

"Let me at least get you another of those." He said, pulling out another cup and making some more tea without waiting for her answer. It was very lucky Ducky had left the tea here, Jenny really only drank coffee, _and Bourbon,_ his mind supplied. He shook his head guiltily; if he hadn't introduced her to that drink she probably wouldn't be drowning herself in it. A part of his mind laughed at him, incredulous of how large his ego seemed to be and he scowled in response.

Perhaps he was letting his feelings for her guilt him into thinking such things, perhaps he wasn't the reason she was drinking after all, but one thing was for certain; if Jenny hadn't been in a relationship with him, Rosie would never have existed. Then she would never have been able to die, which would have saved Jenny from this self-destructive path she was on. It really was his fault, at least partly. He should have fought for her initially; he should have followed her when she had left him instead of letting his pride get in the way. He should have-

"Uncle Gibbs? Are you ok?" Emily asked in concern, and Jethro looked over at her, surprised to see she was standing directly next to him, her small hands reaching out for and then grasping one of his. _Great_, he thought bitterly, _now you are making the one that needs your help worry for you, good going Leroy_. He savagely shook off his thoughts, not allowing any of the bitterness to remain when he responded to Emily, ashamed that he was letting his own guilt overwhelm him, even for a second.

"I'm fine Em, just a little distracted." He said gently, hoping she wouldn't press the issue. Thankfully she was well past the 'why?' stage and she took him at his word. He squeezed her hands and then let go of them, finishing up making the tea for her and then taking a long swig of his coffee, wincing at the burn as it scalded its way down his throat. _That's what you get for not paying attention_, the nasty part of his mind said smugly.

"Where did Jenny go?" Emily asked innocently, looking around the kitchen for any evidence of where she may have gone, but saw none. She turned her gaze back to Jethro and he waved off her concern, letting her know not to worry.

"She's just cleaning up in the study." He said nonchalantly, hoping that he was making it sound boring, so that she wouldn't go and check on her before she finished.

"Cleaning up what?" Emily asked slightly confused and Gibbs mentally kicked himself. He should be more careful of what he said, or at least how he phrased it. It never ceased to amaze him how observant Emily was, though with Diane and Tobias as parents she would have picked up something from them.

"She was up working late last night; she has to sort out her paperwork." He lied smoothly, and Emily nodded thoughtfully before taking a sip of her tea. Her eyes flickered to him and then to the door and he realised she was considering going to see Jenny anyway. Rather than risk her walking in on Jenny and seeing the blood, Jethro placed his cup on the counter top and then moved to the door.

"Some of what she is reviewing is top secret, so I'll just check she's done and then you can come see her." Jethro said, watching as Emily's face brightened considerably.

"Ok!" Emily said happily, settling back against the counter to wait patiently for what she obviously assumed would be only a few seconds. Gibbs sighed internally and then walked quickly to the study, opening the door to see Jenny disposing of the last of the sodden, red kitchen paper in an opaque plastic bag. She looked up sharply and then let out a breath when she saw it was just him and she stood up, carrying the bag over to him.

"Emily wants to see you, I said you were cleaning up top secret paperwork." He said, giving her the correct excuse to tell the young girl. Jenny nodded and then held out the bag to him.

"Ok. Could you take this and put it in the bin outside please? I don't want to risk her seeing it by accident." She explained while looking over his shoulder to make sure Emily wasn't sneaking up on them. The coast was clear so she quickly handed it to him.

"Sure, I have to go to work now anyway. Will you be in?" he enquired, jerking his head in the direction of the kitchen, clearly meaning her and Emily.

"I don't think Emily is ready for that, but once Noemi has arrived I'll come in, so we can hopefully sort out Tobias' position in the FBI. I just called her to ask her to pick up some things for Emily, that's why she's late if you were wondering." She told him, glancing at him a little apprehensively and he knew there was more to come. "Jethro… I was thinking about going to… see Rosie later today. Would you like to…?" she hesitated, as if deciding that finishing the whole sentence would be a bad idea, so he jumped in before she could retract her invitation.

"Yes, I would like to come and see our daughter, Jenny." he said softly and she nodded, a large smile washing over her face as a weight seemed to be physically lifted from her mind. Before he could think twice about it and before circumstances could throw another stumbling block in his way, he quickly leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, not quite a real kiss, but far too intimate to be mistaken as a friendly gesture.

Her eyes widened a little in shock and he contented himself with the fact she hadn't slapped him yet. In the bedroom earlier he had sensed that something was holding her back, that kissing her would have been a mistake, but he got no such feeling now. All he could see in her eyes was a tiny sliver of indecision which was rapidly being overcome by his proximity to her. Emboldened by this knowledge, he carefully ran his fingers over her cheek as he had wanted to do back then, the sensations forcing her eyes to close in pleasure and he took the opportunity to kiss the other side of her mouth.

She reached her arms up to grasp him and pull him closer to her, and for a second he thought about avoiding them, about moving away and leaving before changing what they had, but that wouldn't be fair. Apparently Jenny thought so too, because when he shifted his weight on his feet, he realised she had already prevented his escape by wrapping one of her legs around one of his. If he tried to step back they would both fall over.

He looked back at her, her eyes open now, the wide sultry grin on her face telling him he had nowhere to run. He smiled in response and allowed her hands to rake through his hair, grasp his head and draw him down, even as he wrapped his around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest. The moment they had been waiting for was here, and it didn't disappoint.

Moving swiftly Jethro captured her lips with his own, caressing and nipping while his hands roved over clothed skin that had once been his, and would be again. Her fingers lodged in his hair, holding him to her, preventing him from withdrawing from the kiss, but that was the furthest thing from his mind. When the simple pleasure of lip to lip contact became insufficient he gently nipped with his teeth at her bottom lip, seeking entrance for his tongue in to her mouth and she responded without hesitation.

She moaned as he slid into her wet heat, his tongue duelling with her own as the kiss deepened to the point intoxication. The moment was perfect; they teased and responded to the game that no one else could play with them, unable to take it further with Emily just one room away, and unable to stop. Finally the need for air broke them apart, panting, heads resting together, a familiar satisfaction settling over them, their excitement tempered by the knowledge they wouldn't be taking it any further today.

"You are not alone anymore, Jen." He whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead and then swiftly walking out of the study and through the front door, knowing that if he didn't leave now, he would have her right there, and that could permanently damage Emily if she heard anything or went to investigate. He looked back as he closed the front door, seeing that she was watching him leave, her eyes filling with happy tears and his favourite smile shining back at him. He grinned back, closed the door and then set off for work and a new day.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to MatteaAM, LadyJibbs, black widow mistress, alix33, Twilight Trekky, itzcheeseball, MissJayne, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs and babyred1995 for reviewing!

A.N.2: I think I'm going to have to move the update date of this story to Saturday. I just can't get near the internet on Friday anymore and my boyfriend and I are trying to sort out the essential bills first, so Internet and Sky have taken a back seat. Sorry for the inconvenience. ;)

* * *

Jenny watched as Jethro's purposeful stride carried him out of her house, her lips tingling from the feel of his mouth on hers, her body warmed from where his hands had run across her clothed skin, and she longed to drag him back inside, to have him touch her more fully with no barriers between them, but she held her ground. She realised she should be angry with herself for giving in, for ignoring her intentions of holding off, of turning him away to preserve their relationship in case her addiction made her hostile, but she wasn't. All such thoughts had disappeared the moment he had kissed her, leaving behind only the hunger for his body to intertwine with hers, and the longing, the _need_, for him to feel for her what she feels for him; love.

He looked back as he closed the door, and she could see in his eyes the promise behind the words he had said to her, the words that still resounded in her ears. _You are not alone anymore, Jen_. Happiness, so intense that she lost control of herself, washed over her and tears leaked from her eyes to trickle down her cheeks. She smiled at him, a truly heartfelt gesture, and the grin she received from him in response made her heart soar. He really did love her. The door closed and Jethro disappeared from sight, leaving Jenny in a state of bliss so powerful that she was unable to stop smiling. She wiped away her tears as best as she could but more kept coming. She couldn't seem to get irritated with them though, so she merely sat down in one of the chairs and waited for them to stop.

She couldn't believe the turns this day had taken, and it had barely begun. It had started off promisingly enough, with her in bed and Jethro in her bedroom, but then Emily's distress had frightened everyone. Getting her to settle down and talk again had been difficult, as everything inside her had fought with her immobility when she had been made to stand back and do nothing, waiting for Emily to relax and call out to her. Finally taking Emily into her arms had been a balm on her soul, and since then everything had gotten better. The pessimistic side of her said that she was due a setback, but the rest of her said that her life had just taken a step towards perfection.

Now all she had to do was kick this addiction, and then her and Jethro could finally put their heads together and locate La Grenouille, and then make him pay for the innocent lives he has taken. Jenny glanced up and over to her drinks cabinet, deciding that now was as good a time as any to start. She stood and walked over to it, lifting the decanter, pulling out the stopper and placing it to one side and then she carried it with her as she crossed the study and entered the kitchen.

Emily was silently watching the doorway to the kitchen, and as soon as she saw Jenny, she pushed away from a counter top and put a cup on the side, clearly having been waiting for her to appear. Jenny smiled at her as the little girl approached and then pulled her into a one-armed hug, carefully keeping the decanter away from her and upright, so that its contents didn't spill.

"Jenny, you've been crying again." Emily said softly as she withdrew from her embrace, unsure about what was going on, about what could be making her cry so often. Jenny nodded contentedly and let go of the young girl, who followed behind her.

"Happy tears Emily, only happy ones." She replied, walking over to the sink and upending the decanter over it. The dark amber liquid splashed in to the sink, draining away to a place where she couldn't get to it, where she wouldn't want it. Emily covered her nose and made a disgusted noise when the scent of the strong liquid carried over to her, and Jenny couldn't help but laugh a little. It was strong, and that had been a good thing to her when she had needed to feel, it had meant less to consume, not that that had stopped her. Now though, she could feel without the aid of the Bourbon, and she felt _so good_!

She knew that she had a long way to go until she was better, that she would begin to crave the alcohol again when this good feeling left her, but she didn't care. She would face what was coming and she would succeed in throwing off the claws of this addiction. She smiled wider, she had another addiction to take its place, and this one was so much more fulfilling. It was everything to her, but it had the power to break her completely, and yet the rewards were so much more real and satisfying. The risks were higher too, and the danger stronger but it was worth it, _he_ was worth it. Her new addiction was Jethro, of course, though 'new' was probably the wrong word. He was a recurring addiction, one that she couldn't shake and didn't really want to.

He knew it too. She suspected that he had felt the same in Paris, which was why they hadn't seemed to be able to get enough of one another, though that was purely speculation. Now however, she knew him, she could read him better than she ever could before, experience being the better teacher, and she knew how he felt for her. Every action spoke volumes that she only now recognised and interpreted.

He had been there for her both professionally and personally for years, though her desertion of him had caused him to resent her. They had worked through that now though, and they had been drawn close once more by Emily, and then closer still by Rosie, and finally Jenny's alcohol abuse had paved the way for today, the best day of her life.

Was there a reason for everything? Was her weakness for Bourbon something that had been destined to bring them together? Or was it inconsequential in the grand scheme of things? Had she been damaging her health for no reason? She couldn't answer those questions, no matter how hard she tried, so she decided to forget about it. She didn't need the alcohol now; she had Jethro and Emily to fill her heart with joy. Jenny set the decanter on the draining board and turned to Emily once more, hugging her again and then holding her at arm's length.

"So, what do you want to do today?" she asked her, watching Emily as she crossed her arms and thought carefully about what she wanted.

"I want to see my daddy." She said at last, a huge grin breaking out on her face, and Jenny's chest tightened. Her good mood started to dissipate slightly, but she bolstered it with a big smile.

"Alright. We can go and see how your father is doing now, if you'd like?" Jenny offered, hoping to get it over and done with. She had known that Emily wasn't staying with her indefinitely, but the absence of Emily's parents and how close they were becoming had helped to push thoughts of her leaving to the back of her mind. Now it all came back with a vengeance and she felt some of the emptiness that had consumed her since Rosie's death return.

It wasn't fair that she had lost Rosie, and to now have Emily given to her, only to be taken away later, was torture. She so desperately wanted a child to love; a large family was one thing that she had dreamed of as a young girl, but her every effort to accomplish that was being thwarted. _You are not alone anymore, Jen_. Jethro's words from earlier echoed in her mind and now she grasped them and their meaning like a lifeline. She wasn't alone; she had Jethro and that was all that really mattered. If there was another child in their future they would find out later, and she would do everything in her power to bring that eventuality closer.

"Yes please!" Emily said excitedly, and Jenny smiled back, her equilibrium rebalanced.

"Alright then, put your coat on and we can go." Jenny said, watching as Emily happily skipped out of the kitchen to search for her jacket. She could do this; she should just look at it like a prelude to the main event, when Emily would leave her for good. She followed Emily at a more sedate pace and donned her coat. Once Emily was ready Jenny closed up the house, called Noemi to let her know where they were going, and then they left for the hospital.

* * *

Tobias Fornell was bored out of his mind from the lack of stimuli in the small, white hospital room he was in. His leg was still causing him pain from the bullet wound and subsequent surgery, and the only reason he hadn't discharged himself already was that he wanted the pain medication to work on the worst of the pain, which was at the beginning. Once that subsided, and he could control the pain with over the counter pills, he was out of here and going home with Emily. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jenny or Jethro; it was just that he desperately wanted to know that his daughter was safe, and he could only do that if she was in his sight for most, if not all, of the day.

He let out a harsh breath in the silent room; he had so much to do still. The funeral for Diane hadn't been arranged yet, though he knew that the FBI coroner was holding the body for as long as he needed to sort that out. The Will had to be read, though it was a safe bet that Diane would have left her things to Emily, which would hopefully sort out that college fund that he had wanted to put money away for, only to find he was practically a pauper after the divorce. That would be a huge weight off his mind, to know that Emily's future was safe and provided for.

He gingerly sat up and reached over the side of his bed for the crutches that were standing beside it. He really needed the loo. It took him ten minutes to hop his way down the hall to the men's room, and that was aided by the crutches, so his return trip after doing his business and thoroughly disinfecting his hands, not wanting to catch any of those hospital super bugs, rounded off his half an hour journey. As he carefully edged his cast under the covers he spared an envious thought for the lucky people that get en suite bathrooms in their hospital rooms. As soon as he felt comfortable under the covers, the door opened and a very familiar person stepped in, followed by her red headed guardian.

"Emily!" he said ecstatically. He opened his arms to receive her as she darted forwards, giggling happily with her own arms outstretched. He lifted her as best he could so she could crawl onto the bed and snuggle with him. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter, so thankful to have her back in his arms that for a moment, Jenny went unnoticed. When he finally opened his eyes and lifted them from his daughter, he caught Jenny's eyes and grinned at her.

"Thanks again, for looking after this little angel." He said the last part into Emily's hair, his fingers quickly tickling her sides and making her laugh uncontrollably. When he next lifted his eyes from Emily to look at Jenny, he saw her looking longingly at both him and Emily. Now, he knew that she didn't want him, so that left only one other option in his parental mind; Jenny longed for a family. He unconsciously drew his arms tighter around Emily, unable to tell if his daughter was part of the longing or just the reason for it. Jenny realised what he was doing and smiled sadly at him.

"You don't know how lucky you are to have her back." she said, her eyes once again landing on Emily, and for a moment Tobias was sure that she meant she hadn't wanted to bring her, but then the look in her gloomy eyes registered, and he knew what she had really meant. He was lucky that Emily had been brought back to him alive. That shocked him into silence, the angry words he had been prepared to say to her dying on his lips, and he simply stared at her in silence.

"Daddy, Uncle Gibbs made me pancakes!" Emily said, breaking the silence. She recounted every detail of her time spent with Jenny, including her observation that 'Uncle Jethro hadn't been there when she had gone to bed, but he had been in Jenny's bedroom when she had gotten up this morning'. Tobias turned his very amused eyes to Jenny, who refused to squirm under his gaze. The colouring of her cheeks when Emily told him about 'Uncle Jethro returning to Jenny's bedroom later while she was in the shower' told him as much as he needed to know.

"So, when are you having your own?" Tobias asked curiously, gesturing to Emily so Jenny knew what he was talking about. He was unprepared for the pain in her eyes though, and he bit his tongue in reprimand. That was something new he had learned. He and Jethro were going to have a talk later. He may just have found out why Jenny had left him. Useful information for if the guy was still interested in her.

"That depends on Jethro, and La Grenouille." she said quietly, her expression determined. Tobias' eyebrows rose and he amended his earlier thought; he and Jethro were going to have a _long_ talk later. The only thing he didn't understand was the last thing she had said. It had been French, and he didn't really know that much French. 'La' means 'the', but the 'Grenouille' part was a mystery to him. Hopefully, since he had spent so much time in Paris, Jethro would be able to tell him.

"Alright. Well since you are here, would you mind giving me a lift home? I'm getting out of here." He said, gently settling Emily on her feet on the floor and swinging his legs over the side, his mind made up. He looked around for the bag that had his clothes in, but Jenny blocked his line of sight, concern radiating from her.

"Your leg still hasn't healed Tobias; it's not even close. You could seriously injure yourself if you fall at home." Jenny said sternly, but he waved off her concern. He looked up at her and pointed helplessly at his surroundings.

"Jenny, my baby girl was abducted, mentally tortured and then taken from me when I had just gotten her back. After all of the time I spent looking for her, scouring the FBI _and_ NCIS databases on those monsters, I end up in here while someone else looks after her, while someone else chases away the demons and kisses the hurts better. Would you stay laid up in hospital when you could be at home, _making sure_ that she is ok?" He asked, knowing that she wouldn't say 'yes', no one would say 'yes'. "Please, just take me and Emily home."

Jenny looked away and then nodded her assent. She disappeared through the door to track down a nurse while Tobias happily hugged Emily close. He wasn't going to be an absent father any longer; he was going to be there for his daughter when she needed him.

* * *

A.N.: This part of the story is coming to a close with the departure of Emily and Tobias Fornell, but it will continue in a sequel with the arrival of information about everybody's favourite French gentleman/ businessman/ arms dealer! Just one more chapter to go, the goodbye chapter for Emily, in which i will tell you the sequel title. Thank you for your patience and interest!


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A.N.: Thank you to alix33, itzcheeseball, Twilight Trekky, black widow mistress, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, jstapny and MissJayne for reviewing! Thank you also to everyone who has added this story to their favourites list and alerts, I hope you will read the sequel, details of which are at the bottom!

* * *

Jenny wandered the hospital corridors almost in a daze, her throat tight and her eyes tingling. She had been prepared to let Emily go, she really had, but not so soon. It felt like she had only just regained her equilibrium and now she was being knocked back off of her feet. She had connected with Emily over the short time she had spent with her, only a few days really, and though it didn't seem possible, Emily had made her house a home. She couldn't bear to go back to her empty house with nothing but memories and echoes of the good times for company.

Jenny stopped and leaned back against the corridor wall, her heart rate spiking at her train of thought and a wave of dizziness passing over her. She breathed deeply and slowly, attempting to stave off the anxiety attack without drawing attention to herself. The last thing she needed was for a nurse to ask her what was wrong with her. A small smile threatened on her face as she imagined being wheeled into Fornell's room as he was led out, but it faded in the same moment as she mentally watched Emily leaving with him.

She wished she could stop it, she wished she could take Emily home and never be bothered by Fornell again, but she couldn't. She wouldn't do that to Tobias or Emily even if there was a way to get away with it. Jenny shook her head, wiped her eyes in case any tears had escaped and then did what she did best; she pretended to be alright.

One thing was sustaining her now; the promise of the bottle she still had stashed at home. No alcoholic worth her salt would have only one bottle in her house, and though she had been strong enough to pour one away only an hour ago, now she felt like she would lose her mind without a glass of the stuff she had hidden under her bed.

This morning she had felt that Jethro would help her through this, that she wouldn't need the alcohol while he was there. What a fool she had been. Jethro couldn't be there for her every second of everyday, so he couldn't really help her through this, the Bourbon could. It wasn't going to go to work in the morning; it didn't have any other duties except to be drunk by her when she needed it. She even had some stashed away at work that neither Ducky nor Jethro would be able to locate without a thorough clean out of her office.

Had she thought that Jethro would have some magic healing touch? Or had she thought that getting him into bed would be a substitute for her dependency on alcohol? There was no way he would be able to give her peace and contentment as often, or as thoroughly, as a drink could. He couldn't make her _feel_ like the Bourbon did. Love couldn't heal all wounds, it could only suture them until the injury scabbed over and turned into a scar, and her heart was full of open wounds.

Rosie was the largest gash in her heart, one that would never heal and didn't seem to get easier to bear over time. It never got any worse either, thankfully, but nothing could dull the pain. Ziva had helped her to stay sane after Rosie's death, she had understood loss, but not of the same kind. Jethro did though, but could he help her to overcome the agony she still felt, when he couldn't lay the memory of his first wife and daughter to rest? Were they doomed to be pushed apart by the ghosts that they couldn't let go of?

Jenny walked calmly over to the nurses' station and asked for the discharge papers for Tobias Fornell, her inner turmoil invisible to everyone around her. They didn't know or care about her personal life, and that was how she wanted to keep it. What would happen to her if the Sec-Nav found out about her alcoholism? What if the media found out? She would have to be doubly careful and be as happy and pleasant as possible to the doctors and nurses here.

The nurse handed over the papers and asked how Mr Fornell was getting home, and whether he had the proper facilities there to allow him to care for himself and his daughter while his leg healed. Jenny didn't know the answer to that, so she just smiled and nodded, hoping that the nurse wouldn't ask for specifics. She didn't, instead she reluctantly followed Jenny back to Tobias' room so she could try talking sense into him.

The rest of the time spent at the hospital was a blur. Jenny couldn't actually recall getting Tobias and Emily out of the hospital and into her car or the journey back to hers to pick up Emily's things; the next clear memory she had was of following them into her own home while Noemi opened the door for them. Her ever faithful housekeeper had given her a long sideward glance and then disappeared into the kitchen, only to reappear moments later with a steaming mug of coffee in her hands. She had passed it to Jenny, who took a sip and instantly wished it was something stronger. She'd need it to get through the next few minutes.

She was now just sitting out in her entrance hall on the bottom step of the staircase, gazing into the kitchen and listening to Emily's joyful laughter and excited chatter drifting down from the spare room she had been staying in. She should probably go and help Emily pack, but the thought of helping her to leave made her sick to her stomach. She just couldn't do it. She took a long swig of her coffee, hoping to ease the chills that she could feel spiralling up from her gut to her heart, but the heat didn't seem to touch them.

A few minutes later, Emily and Tobias came steadily down the stairs, with Tobias holding the banister for support. Jenny got up and took some of the bags from him to make his descent easier, and then she stood back and gave it back to him. He put a hand on Emily's shoulder and gestured towards Jenny.

"Thanks for looking after her Jenny. Emily, what do you say?" he asked the young girl. She looked up at him and grinned before moving forwards and encircling Jenny with her arms in a tight hug. Jenny swallowed hard and tried not to embarrass herself by crying, but this was all so final. Emily was leaving.

"Thank you for looking after me, Jenny." Emily's small voice carried up to her from the little face pressed against her side, and Jenny's eyes finally gave in to the instinct to well up. She hugged her back and then quickly let her go while she still could. She didn't want to make Emily feel unwanted, so she stroked her hair when she pulled back, but it was getting harder the longer they drew it out.

"It's been a pleasure Emily." she choked out, somehow managing to sound normal even though she was screaming inside for her to stay forever. Emily beamed up at her and then pointed over her shoulder at her father.

"My dad says that it's ok if you want to come round to our house and see me. You will, won't you?" she asked hopefully, and Jenny found herself nodding before she had absorbed what she was saying. It seemed like a reprieve from the pain, but what if it just made it worse? What if by seeing her occasionally she would get hurt more than if she just cut contact now? That was probably what Tobias was hoping, that by going home Emily would forget about wanting to see her, but he wasn't willing to cut her off from her yet until he was better.

"Of course I will, thank you Emily, and thank you Tobias." she said, as sincerely as she could. The thought did make her happy, and a small bubble of hope appeared. Hope that maybe this wasn't the last time she would see her, that maybe they could remain in regular contact.

"Don't mention it. Oh and when you know about-" Tobias began, changing the subject to one that was always on his mind. Jenny cut him off, already knowing what he was going to ask.

"I'll make sure that Jethro lets you know how our talk with your boss goes. I'll probably call you myself just to make sure later on anyway." she said, knowing that Jethro would be busy with the case he was working on. She made a mental note to find out more about that when she went in later. Tobias nodded and then held out a hand. Jenny smiled and took it, shaking it as firmly as she could without over balancing him.

"Thank you." he said finally, for more than just looking after his daughter. He was thanking her for helping him to find her in the first place. Lord knows what would have happened to Emily if she had refused his request and let the FBI take their sweet time finding her. That monster could have done some more permanent damage to her, or even killed her. He would be forever thankful to Jenny.

"You're welcome." she replied in a slightly watery voice, unsure how long she could keep back her tears. She didn't want to let Emily see her crying, even though the young girl had witnessed the aftermath of her other two crying sessions. It just seemed like the wrong way to say goodbye, especially since she was going to see Emily whenever she called. Tobias released her hand and then turned to the door. Noemi opened it for him and he walked through it to put some of Emily's bags outside. Just as Jenny was about to ask if he wanted her to unlock her car for him, a familiar vehicle pulled up outside.

"I called Jethro, asked if he wouldn't mind giving us a lift. I thought you might want to get back to work or something, you have been away for a while because of us." Tobias said, glancing guiltily over to Jethro when Jenny's eyes narrowed. Was he afraid of riding in a car with her? What was she going to do, push him out in to oncoming traffic? She was very reluctant to let Emily leave but she wasn't homicidal.

"Of course…" she mumbled, shocked and saddened by his sudden change of plans. She had hoped to deliver Emily safe to her door, to have those last few seconds with her, but it was apparently not to be. This was her goodbye, she was just lucky he had given her one. Her fingers flexed slightly and her thoughts turned once more to the bottle lying secretly under her bed. Now that Emily was gone and Jethro was busy, there was nothing to distract her from it. She could always do some work, but the craving was digging its claws in and she couldn't find the drive to overcome it. She felt like she was falling apart, she needed a drink to help her let it all out, all of this emotion that was building up with no outlet. She needed the dam to release and only the alcohol could help her do that.

"Goodbye Jenny!" Emily called, shaking Jenny from her bitter thoughts and she realised that she must have zoned out for a moment. Tobias and Emily were both climbing into Jethro's car and waving, and it was all she could do to wave back. She glanced at Jethro, who was gazing at her intently, worriedly, and she smiled for him, trying to allay his fears, but she could already feel the need for a drink beckoning her inside and, impossible though it was, it seemed like he knew it.

Jenny waved until the car pulled away and then she disappeared inside her house, leaving locking up to Noemi. She walked quickly up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her and then moving swiftly to her bed. She dropped to her knees beside it and reached under, her hands trembling as she did so, the anticipation of the relaxed contentment of her special place making her clumsy. She grasped the bottle and pulled it out along with the glass that she had rolled under there, in case she couldn't make it downstairs.

Jenny sat up with the bottle and placed the glass on the carpet in front of her. She swiftly opened the bottle, having had a lot of practise, and poured as much as she could into the small glass. She put the bottle down next to her and brought the glass to her lips, swallowing as much as she could without dripping any down herself. The burn was heaven, the heat moving through her warmed her in the way she had hoped the coffee would, but didn't. She sat back and leaned against her bed, content now to sip her way through the dregs and then pour another.

After the second glass was finished she got unsteadily to her feet and hobbled into the bathroom. She did her business and moved to the sink, putting some soap on her hands and washing them. She felt good, that fuzziness that made life changing decisions laughable was wrapped around her senses and she really couldn't care. She lifted her head to look in the mirror, to check her hair and makeup, and stepped back in shock.

She looked awful. At some point she must have begun crying, but she couldn't recall when. Her makeup had run and splashed on to her shirt and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. Shock turned quickly to anger. Why was she doing this to herself? She had been doing ok today, why had she gone back to the bottle? Why was no one helping her? They were lying when they said they cared, they were just making her feel that everything was fine so they could laugh at her behind her back. Ducky had started this, she hadn't had a problem until he told her she did, then she had started drinking more somehow, she must have.

Jenny turned from the mirror and moved back into her bedroom where she looked at the bottle and glass lying there in revulsion. The drink that she had thought made her better was just turning her into someone else, someone that even she couldn't recognise. This was Jethro's fault, it was him that had introduced her to it, and it was him that she had drunk it to feel close to, initially. It was him that was encouraging her to drink it even now. If he knew she had a problem why hadn't he gotten rid of all of the alcohol in her house? He just wanted her to suffer for leaving him all those years ago. Jenny reached down and grabbed the glass. The smell of Bourbon drifted up to her and she flung it away from her furiously, listening to the loud smash as it shattered on her bedroom wall.

Next she bent down and retrieved the bottle, walking intently to the bathroom. She pushed the door open as wide as it would go and then moved over to the sink. She sneered at the bottle, which she had thought to be the only thing could help her through the day, and thrust it into the sink. She misjudged the distance slightly and the neck of the bottle smashed against the porcelain, sending shards flying back out. She held the rest of the bottle in the sink watching what was left of it drain away until she felt her hand begin to sting.

All of her anger evaporated as she watched in horror as her blood dripped into the sink. She dropped the bottle and pulled her hand back sharply, the flying shards of glass having cut her hand in several places. Some of the Bourbon had found its way into the cuts and she hissed as the pain increased. Her inebriated state allowed her to do exactly what she had intended; she could feel. She could feel all of the pain from her hand and somehow that cleared her mind of all of her bitter thoughts.

Humiliation set in. She couldn't believe what she had just done. She carefully pulled a towel done from the rack and tried to cover it up but she had no emotional barriers to keep the pain at bay any longer. With a sob of defeat she lay down on the cold floor and curled up, cradling her bleeding hand.

* * *

That was how Jethro found her an hour later. Noemi had heard the racket that she had made and called him, so he had rushed back from Tobias' house. When he got there she had already cried herself to sleep. Jethro carefully unwrapped the towel from around her hand and winced in sympathy. It wasn't life threatening, all of the cuts were shallow, but there were pieces of glass in her hand.

He left her there for a moment while he called Ducky and then cleaned up her bedroom, trying to find all of the shards of glass before he thought about putting her in bed. He spoke to Noemi and asked her to look as thoroughly as she could for any hidden bottles that Jenny may have stashed around the house, which she agreed to do. The bottle in the sink hadn't been in plain sight this morning. When Ducky arrived he pulled out the glass and rewrapped her hand, this time in a bandage, and let Jethro carry her to bed once more.

The road to recovery for Jenny was bound to have its ups and downs from the beginning, but he had never suspected she would react as violently as this to Emily leaving her. He settled on the bed next to her, on top of the covers, not intending to stay the night again. Jethro was, however, in this for the long haul, which meant that he was more than willing to be there for her, whether she needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to love or someone to blame. Over the next few weeks, she needed him a lot for those exact reasons.

Emily did see her quite often, but that didn't seem to help her stop drinking. She drank less, a lot less than usual, but if her mood turned sour there was nothing Jethro could do to stop her from pulling a bottle from somewhere and cracking it open, until one day something changed. One day she received something very promising.

* * *

A.N.: Now I'm sure you all saw that coming; Jenny's crash and burn, but it had to happen at some point. I wanted to show you the low point, so you all know that things don't get much worse over the weeks that are going to be skipped in order to get to the next part. Thank you so much for reading! The title for the sequel, if you couldn't guess, is '…Is a friend in deed.' The first chapter will be posted next Saturday. Please don't tell me that I have spelled the last part of the saying wrong, there is a good reason for why I have done it this way.


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